The end of a long ordeal.
Gabriel Lacroix hangs up his crampons at only 27 years old, after three white seasons due to a serious knee injury.
This announcement is ultimately no 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.
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"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.
In three seasons at Stade Rochelais, the player with an obvious resemblance to the singer Julien Doré (who had joked about it) played 60 matches including 48 in the Top 14 and scored 20 tries including a quadruplet that remained famous on the Bayonne field in December 2016 .
Two matches for the French team
Pocket winger still with a helmet (1.71 m, 80 kg), Gabriel Lacroix had been trained in Toulouse then Auch, he was then spotted by Stade Rochelais in 2015 while he was playing in Albi in Pro D2.
His remarkable performances had allowed him to discover the XV of France on the occasion of the 2017 autumn tour under the orders of Guy Novès.
He was first aligned with a France B team against New Zealand B at Stade Gerland (23-28 loss).
During this match which did not give the right to an official selection, he had distinguished himself with a double.
The following weekend, he celebrated his first blue cape with a try during the Blues' draw against Japan (23-23) at Paris La Défense Arena, two months before his serious injury.
See this post on Instagram
A post shared by Gabriel Lacroix (@ gabriellacroix32)
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