“I saw him this morning and we came to the same conclusions”, said Dusautoir about his conversation with Noves, who was also the flanker’s club coach at Toulouse. “In fact, I believe that this is the wisest decision”.
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“If I had tried to continue, forcing to do, I would have shown more vanity than anything else”.
The 34-year-old – who led France to the 2011 World Cup final, where they were agonisingly beaten 8-7 by New Zealand – played his final game for his country in their quarter-final defeat to the All Blacks in this year’s World Cup.
A tireless flanker known for his legendary tackling and deft ball-handling skills, Dusautoir made his Test debut in 2006 and played a total of 80 internationals.
Dusautoir scored the first of his six global tries on his test debut against Romania in 2006, and fast earned a reputation for his incredibly tough, relentless and fearless tackling.
“My character has always been to give my all for France and for my club before thinking about myself”, Dusautoir added”.
Fittingly, his last Test was against New Zealand in Cardiff, where he had inspired his side eight years previously – though the thrashing was perhaps an ignominious end to an outstanding worldwide career.
That loss left him devastated, and he said last month that he was undecided about his global future.
Perhaps tempted by extending his tenure with Noves, alongside whom he won three French championship titles (2008, 2011, 2012) and the 2010 European Cup, Dusautoir delayed his announcement. I also think that I needed to make the most of my final years in rugby.
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“If there wasn’t a certain Richie McCaw running around during that same period Dusautoir would probably be seen as the guy whose played the best rugby in that (seven) position over a long period of time”, Hansen said.
