Rugby World Cup
Frederic Michalak retires from international rugby following Rugby World Cup exit
Tom Hamilton
October 18, 2015
New Zealand 62-13 France (Australia only)

France fly-half Frederic Michalak has announced his retirement from international rugby.

Michalak, 33, calls time on a Test career that saw him win 77 caps and play in three World Cups. He bows out as France's leading points scorer on 436 but his final match ended with him being forced off after 11 minutes as his side were thrashed by the All Blacks.

© Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

"For me this is the end," Michalak said on EuroSport. "It's certain. I think physically, it is hard for me to sustain that level. My body cannot keep up. It's sad to finish like that.

"Frankly, I imagined leaving with a cup in my hands. But I did not imagine it working out like that."

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Second-row Pascal Pape has also reportedly announced his retirement from Test rugby in an interview with Canal+. While Michalak and Pape bow out, Thierry Dusautoir remained non-committal on his future when asked in the post-match press conference.

"I haven't even thought about all that to be honest," Dusautoir said. "We just lost the quarterfinal and shipped 60 points. I'm not thinking about that, but about my team-mates and how to recover because the World Cup is finished for us.

"And now we have to go back to our clubs and the Top 14. So we've got to go back to reality, real life, and then I will have time to think about all of this.

"But now is not the time to think about all of that. Now I want to rest, and think of something else. After such a defeat and the powerlessness and impotence we felt for most of the game, there's not much more to say. To come out, to leave the competition in this way, it's complicated but it's worse than that."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

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