LIONS PLAYER DIES AT TEAM HOTEL BEFORE LA ROCHELLE MATCH

A Lions rugby player has died at the team’s hotel before a Champions Cup match against La Rochelle, with tournament organisers saying they are informing his family. The player, whose name has not been released, is understood to have been found unconscious in a shower. Emergency services could not revive him at the Atalante-Relais Thalasso hotel on the Île de Ré. Accounts of the medical cause differ between cardiac arrest and a heart attack.

The South African side had travelled to Europe to prepare for their Champions Cup debut this weekend. They arrived following a 57-15 defeat by their South African rivals, the Bulls. Lions players and staff are understood to have received news of the death and to be receiving support. European Professional Club Rugby, which organises the tournament, has provided no further details beyond saying it is informing the family.

The death coincides with the tenth anniversary of Anthony Foley’s death in a Paris hotel room in 2016. Foley, who coached Munster, died in his sleep before a European match against Racing 92 after a heart condition caused fluid to accumulate in his lungs. Munster’s plans for this weekend include tributes to Foley before their match against Racing in Cork. Players will wear commemorative presentation jackets featuring the club crest and the number eight, marking Foley’s playing position.