CHRIS HEWETT

The desperate news surrounding Virimi Vakatawa – a proper centre on his day and plenty good enough for most opposition even when he was a mile off his game – raises a question or two over the apparent inconsistency of approach to player welfare at the top level of the sport.
Racing 92’s gold-standard midfielder, capped more than 30 times by France, has been forced to retire at 30 by the Ligue Nationale de Rugby’s medical commission. The reason? Cardiological pathology, apparently. Or to put it in layman’s language, a heart condition.
Contrary to popular opinion on this side of...