Heartbreaking pre-game scenes 24 hours after teammate’s death
Hyron Andrews’ death remains under investigation as his former teammates paid emotional tributes to the highly respected South African lock over the weekend.
Andrews, 31, was found dead on Friday in France where he was preparing to play for the Lions in a Champions Cup match against La Rochelle.
Hyron Andrews was found dead on Friday night. Getty
La Rochelle prosecutor Arnaud Laraize said that Andrews was found unresponsive in a shower cubicle, which was locked from the inside, at the team’s hotel.
He had undergone a hammam session - otherwise known as a Turkish bath - about an hour earlier.
Andrews had shown no signs of health problems in the preceding days, according to his entourage.
An investigation into the cause of death has been opened, but autopsy results are yet to be released.
South Africa Rugby said Andrews, a 203cm, 108kg father-of-two, died after a fall.
La Rochelle backs coach Rémi Talès said that players from his club later went to offer their support to Lions players at their hotel.
It was agreed that the game would go ahead following discussions between the two sides.
La Rochelle won 31-14 despite a spirited display from the Johannesburg-based Lions.
“It’s been a tough 24 hours, and we decided to celebrate Hyron, show respect to his wife and his children, and celebrate life,” Lions coach Ivan van Rooyen said.
“It gets taken away so quickly. We’ve had hundreds and thousands of messages from all over the world. It’s not about winning or losing today. It’s not about rugby.
“We wanted to show the respect to Hyron, who was an unbelievable guy, an unbelievable player, a world-class dad and a world-class husband. Us arriving for the game shows how much he means to us and how much it means to everyone.”
Several Lions players were in tears pre-game as they paid the emotional tribute. X
La Rochelle fans formed a guard of honour to welcome the visitors at Stade Marcel-Deflandre.
Andrews’ No.5 jersey was then laid out in front of his teammates as an impeccably observed moment of silence was held.
Ruan Delport, promoted from the bench to take Andrews’ spot in the second row, wore No.24, leaving Andrews’ number free.
Several Lions players were in tears pre-game as they paid an emotional tribute.
South Africans on the La Rochelle side - Dillyn Leyds and Salmaan Moerat - also presented a special No.5 jersey to van Rooyen, while the ground erupted into applause in the fifth minute of the match.
La Rochelle players, led out by France star Grégory Alldritt, wore black armbands.
Andrews spent a decade at the Durban-based Sharks before leaving in 2024.
A young Sale Sharks fan holds up a message in honour of Hyron Andrews. Getty Images for Sale Sharks
The Sharks dedicated their 40-33 win over Lyon to him.
“When you spend that much time with someone, working together, fighting together on the field, they become more than just a teammate. He was a brother to many of the guys still in our system,” Sharks coach JP Pietersen said.
Andrews also played 45 games for England’s Sale Sharks before joining the Lions this year.
Sale lost 47-27 to the Glasgow Warriors at the weekend.
“That kind of news levels you, and it puts into clear focus what’s important, who’s important, and why Hyron was very important to us, his family still are, as each of them are to each other,” Sale coach Alex Sanderson said.
“It’s my job to reframe and communicate – that’s what I’m getting paid to do – and I struggled on both counts. But I thought how the lads pitched up, particularly how they started, was a testament to how tight the group is. They’ve been pulling in together over the last 12 hours.
“We weren’t wanting to weaponise it, but we wanted to play and do right by him. Regardless of how traumatic and how devastating it is – and it is – the wheels still turn, life carries on and kick-off is at one o’clock. It is still really raw to process.”
Several Lions players were in tears pre-game as they paid the emotional tribute. X
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