It was an increasingly open secret, so long had her absence from the field lasted. On Wednesday, on her Instagram account, Romane Ménager confirmed her retirement. At 29, one of the most emblematic figures in French rugby is bowing out, forced into it by concussions that were preventing her from playing without anxiety.

A decision imposed by her body

For two years, Romane Ménager had been fighting to get back to the top level. In vain. “After two seasons doing everything possible to get back on the pitch in the best possible conditions, I now have to face facts. It is time to listen to my body,” the back-rower wrote on Instagram. “Following difficulties recovering after several concussions, and after many conversations with the medical staff, we took the decision to end my playing career in order to protect my health.” A further concussion, suffered on her comeback match against Italy, had notably cost her the 2025 World Cup.

From Lille to Montpellier, a winner’s career

French rugby loses one of its leaders. It was in the north, at Lille Métropole, that Romane Ménager made her name, going on to win a first French title in 2016. She joined Montpellier in 2018 and immediately confirmed her standing: the following season, in 2019, she lifted another national title with the Hérault club. Two clubs, two French titles, in the demanding roles of the back row, where her physicality and her work rate set the standard.

A cornerstone of the France team

On the international stage, Romane Ménager established herself as a cornerstone of the France team, which she represented 68 times. Her honours in the blue shirt include two Six Nations titles, in 2016 and then in 2018 with a Grand Slam, a golden period for French women’s rugby. She also played in two World Cups, in 2017 and 2022, finishing third on both occasions, and was regularly named among the best back-rowers on the planet. “The finest chapters are still to be written,” she says of what comes next.

The Ménagers and the shadow of concussion

Her departure resonates all the more because it comes only months after that of her twin sister, Marine, who also stepped away from the game. Two careers cut short in the same family, at a moment when head injuries are emerging as one of rugby’s great questions, and particularly in the women’s game. At 29, Romane Ménager did not get to choose when to say goodbye. Her body chose for her.