- A Lions player in his thirties died at a French hotel while the team prepared to face La Rochelle.
- Saturday’s Champions Cup match is now uncertain, while the player’s name is being withheld until his family is informed.
A Lions player has died at the team’s hotel in France while the squad was preparing for its Champions Cup debut against La Rochelle.
Daily Maverick reported that the player was found unresponsive in a shower cubicle on the Île de Ré.
The player, who was in his thirties, was in cardiac arrest when emergency services arrived shortly before 10.30am.
Paramedics tried to revive him but were unsuccessful. He was pronounced dead.
Sources independently confirmed the death to Daily Maverick.
His name is being withheld because his family have not yet been informed.
Île de Ré is an island off France’s western coast and is connected by bridge to the mainland city of La Rochelle.
The Lions had been preparing there ahead of their Champions Cup opener against two-time champions La Rochelle.
It is not yet clear whether the match will still go ahead.
The game was scheduled for Saturday, 17 October.
