La Rochelle (AFP)
La Rochelle international winger Gabriel Lacroix, absent from the pitch since 2018 following a serious right knee injury and several operations, officially ended his career on Thursday at the age of 27.
"The time has come ... After three years of operations and rehabilitations, it is time for me to announce the end of my career following my knee injury," said the player on his Instagram account.
This announcement is not a surprise and comes 37 months after his fracture with displacement of the tibial plateau which occurred on January 13, 2018 in Belfast against Ulster.
Since then, he had undergone three operations but could not replay.
Lacroix, pocket winger (1.71 m, 80 kg) trained in Toulouse then Auch, was spotted by Stade Rochelais in 2015 while he was playing in Albi in Pro D2.
In three seasons in the caravel club, he played 60 matches, including 48 in the Top 14, and scored 20 tries, including a quadruple that remained famous on the Bayonne field in December 2016.
His performances allowed him to discover the XV of France on the occasion of the 2017 autumn tour. Aligned within France B against New Zealand B at Stade Gerland (match not eligible for selection), he had illustrated with a double.
The following weekend, he celebrated his first cape in blue with a try against Japan, two months before his serious injury.
© 2021 AFP