Bordeaux - Ex-All Black scrum-half Byron Kelleher will have to appear before a French court on a drink-driving charge after being caught Friday morning when four times over the legal limit, according to police sources.
Kelleher was arrested at 9am at the wheel of his car after driving on the wrong side of the road.
The 37-year-old refused a roadside breath test but one later carried out at a police station revealed an alcohol level of two grammes in his blood, four times the legal limit.
"He was put into custody and then released after a sobering-up period. He will soon be summoned to appear before the court," the police source said.
Kelleher hung up his boots last season at Paris-based Stade Francais after a glittering career in which he won 58 caps for New Zealand between 1999-2007.
He initially moved to France to play club rugby for Toulouse and in four seasons was part of the squad that won the French championship twice (2008 and 2010) and the European Cup (2010).