Deprived of playing rugby in France due to a heart defect, the French center three-quarter of Fijian origin Virimi Vakatawa nevertheless returned to competition in England, where he is playing this season with Bristol. The former French international is regularly fielded by the Bears but he does not appear on the match sheet for the match on the second day of the Champions Cup against Union Bordeaux-Bègles, Saturday (4:15 p.m.).
According to information from Midi Olympique, the English club would have chosen not to field its player on French soil, fearing a protest or a defeat on the green carpet, due to the fact that he is not authorized to play in France by the FFR. The French governing body had already expressed its astonishment when the former Racing 92 center played with the Barbarians against Samoa last August in Brive.