Former France international full-back Scott Spedding has confirmed he will retire at the end of the current season.
The South-African born 33-year-old, who is originally from Krugersdorp near Johannesburg, has had an eventful career in France having played for Castres, Brive, Bayonne and Clermont as well as the national side and admitted he has fulfilled his dreams.
“Rugby has been a part of my life since I was a little boy and it will continue to be but I will no longer play this beautiful game. I arrived in France 11 years ago with nothing else but a backpack and heart full of dreams. Never would I have imagined I would have experienced what I have experienced,” he said.
During his time in Clermont he lifted the Top 14 title in 2017 in what was the biggest moment of his club career to date. His current side Castres battling for a play-off spot with two regular season games remaining in a bid to defend their own Top 14 crown.
Spedding won 23 caps for Les Blues since his debut against Fiji in 2014 and featured during France’s poor 2015 World Cup campaign. However, the full-back known for his accurate long-range kicking from the tee and from his hands, has not been selected for France since 2017 in what was Guy Noves’ final game as head coach.
He was refused the status of a player who had come through an academy by the national league (LNR) even though he had represented the country and holds a French passport.
Spedding had taken the LNR to the Conseil D’Etat, France’s supreme court, in May 2018 and argued that their decision prevented him from “finding an employer” although that appeal was rejected in April.
He leaves the game with a good reputation even if his career wasn’t as long as some may have hoped for.
