FRENCH BACK-ROW IMANOL Harinordoquy will retire from rugby at the end of the season.<\/p>\n
The 36-year-old announced his decision on Friday morning, with his contract with Toulouse coming to an end this season.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe decision came quite naturally, knowing that I had already prepared to call it a day two years ago after a very complicated season at Biarritz, the club\u2019s relegation, and a knee that was really suffering,\u201d he told L\u2019Equipe.<\/p>\n
Harinordoquy launched his professional career with Pau in 2000 before joining Biarritz in 2004. The flanker stayed with the Basque club for 10 years before moving to Toulouse in 2014.<\/p>\n
Capped 82 times for France, the forward was part of three World Cup squads (2003, 2007, 2011) and was twice crowned Top 14 champion with Biarritz (2005, 2006), with whom he also made two Heineken Cup finals (2006, 2010).<\/p>\n
He was\u00a0nominated for IRB Player of the Year in 2010 but beaten to the award by Richie McCaw.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cThis season, I\u2019ve haven\u2019t played full games,\u201d he said, having managed just five 80-minute performances out of 23 games played for Toulouse.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel it\u2019s become too difficult to recuperate \u2013 my knee no longer allows it. So it\u2019s a good time to stop.\u201d<\/p>\n
In 2011\u00a0Harinordoquy\u2019s father Lucien famously raced onto the pitch to intervene in a scuffle which broke out between Imanol and two Bayonne players.<\/p>\n
Source: ESPNscrum\/YouTube<\/p>\n
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