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France prop Uini Atonio has been forced to retire after he was admitted to an intensive care unit following a "cardiac event".
The 35-year-old was taken to a hospital in La Rochelle on Tuesday with his club saying he suffered a suspected heart problem, and is now in a stable condition.
"Following his hospitalisation, Uini will have to undergo a long period of recovery," said French Top 14 side La Rochelle, his team since 2011.
Atonio, who was born in New Zealand, qualified to play for France through residency and made 68 appearances for his adoptive country.
During his career the giant prop won the Six Nations Grand Slam in 2022 and was selected for their World Cup squads in 2015 and 2023.
He started all five games as France regained the Six Nations in 2025, and was selected in their provisional squad for this year's tournament.
However, he was withdrawn from the squad earlier this week. It is unclear whether that was for sporting or medical reasons.
Having been spotted at a rugby 10s tournament in Hong Kong, Atonio signed for La Rochelle for the 2011-12 season and remained with the club for his entire career.
He helped his side win promotion to the Top 14 in 2014, and was part of a squad that reached three successive Champions Cup finals between 2021 and 2023, winning the title in the latter two years.
Atonio played six times this season, with his first appearance coming in early December and the last against Harlequins in the Champions Cup on 18 January.
On the pitch, Uini Atonio's super-strength was his super-sized frame. As a teenager, the 6ft 4in prop weighed more than 26st - a formidable tight-head foundation on which to build a set-piece.
Yet, in his native New Zealand, that heft was initially seen as a weakness. Doubts about Atonio's endurance and mobility meant that despite a promising junior career that saw him captain Wesley College - Jonah Lomu's alma mater - and represent provincial side Counties Manukau at age-grade level, he started working as a landscaper and seemed to be slipping out of rugby.
The former Gloucester prop Patrice Collazo, in charge of then second-tier La Rochelle, spotted some wasted potential and convinced a 21-year-old Atonio to travel to the other side of the world in an attempt to revive his career.
It worked superbly. The slower, more power-based style of French rugby suited Atonio and La Rochelle soon rose to the Top 14. He was part of a heavyweight pack that ran through Leinster in the 2022 Champions Cup final and then retained their crown by repeating the trick a year later.
Internationally, he qualified for France on residency grounds under the old three-year rule and made his debut in 2014. By then his weight was down to 23st, giving him the ability to be a regular gainline runner as well as a scrum threat.
He was a key part of the 2022 side that won a Grand Slam and finishes his career with 68 caps to his name.
