Former French international Virimi Vakatawa, who had to interrupt his career in France due to a heart defect, has obtained authorization to resume his career at Bristol Bears at the age of 31, the English club announced on Wednesday.
Thirty-one times called up for the blue jersey, Vakatawa was playing as a center for Racing-92 when doctors discovered a heart problem in September 2022, prohibiting him from playing professional rugby in France.
“Following an independent review by an expert panel of leading sports cardiologists,” Vakatawa was cleared to play again and “signed a contract until the end of the 2023/24 season,” it says the Bristol club, current second in the English championship, in a press release.
In August, Vakatawa returned to the field in the jersey of the British Barbarians, for a match against Tonga.
Of Fijian origin, he was once considered the best center in the world. He played his last match with the XV of France on July 9, 2022.