Statement: France international confirms retirement

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French rugby veteran Brice Dulin has announced he'll hang up his boots at the end of the current season, bringing an end to a stellar career that included Champions Cup glory and Top 14 triumphs.

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The 35-year-old La Rochelle fullback confirmed his retirement on Thursday, with his final fixture set for June 7th away to Pau.

 International flair

Dulin, capped 37 times by France, made his international debut back in 2012 against Argentina. He featured at the 2015 Rugby World Cup and started on the wing in France's bruising 62-13 quarter-final loss to the All Blacks.

 Domestic domination

Dulin's club career is a journey through French rugby royalty. Starting out at Agen, he rose to prominence at Castres, where he lifted the Top 14 title in 2013. A move to Racing 92 followed — and with it, another Top 14 crown. In 2020, he joined La Rochelle, where he hit continental heights with back-to-back Champions Cup titles under the guidance of Irish legend Ronan O'Gara.

"It's time to make way"

"It's time to make way for the youngsters," said Dulin, in a typically classy statement confirming his exit from the game.

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With Andy Farrell set to name his squad on May 8, time is running out for these four stars to prove their fitness and book their ticket to Australia.

Duhan van der Merwe – A Race Against Time

Scotland's record-breaking winger Duhan van der Merwe is facing a race against time to be fit for the British & Irish Lions tour – and things aren’t looking great.

The 29-year-old powerhouse, who has crossed the whitewash an incredible 32 times in just 49 Tests, picked up an ankle injury early in Edinburgh's recent United Rugby Championship win over the Dragons.

While the club has stayed coy about the full extent of the damage, they revealed on Tuesday night that Van der Merwe is "expected to return during May" following MRI scan results earlier in the week.

That timeline means the big man is almost certain to miss the rest of Edinburgh's run-in – somewhere between three and five matches depending on their European Challenge Cup fate – just as Lions boss Andy Farrell prepares to finalise his touring squad.

Having started all three Tests on the 2021 Lions tour of South Africa, Van der Merwe looked a near-certainty once upon a time. But with Ireland's deadly duo James Lowe and Mack Hansen, England flyer Tommy Freeman, and his Edinburgh teammate Darcy Graham all in electric form, his chances are slipping fast.

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