truebluefan

The 118-cap Toulouse lock captained Les Bleus on 42 occasions and played in four Grand Slam-winning sides in the Five and Six Nations after making his debut
in 1995.
The 33-year-old, who will continue to play for his club until the end of the season, said: "It's 12 years since I started to play for France, 12 years of which I'm proud.

"I went through beautiful moments, had some disappointments, but I shall only keep the unforgettable moments.

"For the past two years I've had difficulty playing matches in succession. My body has told me that it is over.

"Also, French rugby will now enter a new era with new coaches, new ambitions and it would have been ridiculous to claim to last until the next World Cup."

Pelous, who led his country a total of 42 times, began this year as skipper of the national side but a succession of injuries limited his appearances and the captaincy passed to Fabien Ibanez.

His World Cup contribution was also hindered by injury after he picked up a knock in France's opening loss to Argentina.

He returned to the side for the semi-final defeat to England.

Pelous has now turned his sights to one last domestic challenge and is hoping to add to his two Heineken Cups triumphs and teo French Championships.

"I want to help them win another European Cup and another French title and to do that, I must spare my strength," he said.