However after a long season which began with the World Cup and also featured a relegation battle for his club Perpignan, the 32-year-old insists he will be a better player for his rest.

He said: “It did me some good in the sense that I’ve been on the go for years now. The coaching team gave me a rest and it was the right decision.

“Even if playing for France is always incredible, sometimes it’s important to know when to say stop.

“A season like last year, we haven’t had many at Perpignan. It was very tough because we had to keep fighting right until the end.

“But I don’t want to think about it too much, I’d rather look towards the future. We will use this nightmare season to not make the same mistakes again.

“We have to get rid of this season quickly, especially because there are new guys who weren’t here. We have to be able to distance ourselves from last year.”