Andrews is believed to have died from cardiac arrest, though it seems French police are investigating the death.
Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie. Picture: Gallo Images / Misha Jordaan
Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie paid tribute to 31-year-old Lions lock Hyron Andrews, calling his death on the eve of the Lions’ Investec Champions Cup clash against La Rochelle “a very cruel thing”.
Andrews is believed to have died from cardiac arrest, though it seems French police are investigating the death.
He was in cardiac arrest when emergency services arrived at the hotel in Sainte-Marie-de-Ré, on the French island of Île de Ré, where the team was training for the next day’s Champions Cup opener against La Rochelle.
Shocked
McKenzie said he is shocked by Andrew’s death.
“Hyron played in a position that asks for nothing but courage; the work nobody sees and the hits nobody counts. He gave that to the Sharks, to Sale, to the Junior Boks and to the Lions, without complaint. To lose him at 31, far from home, on the day before a match his teammates had worked so hard towards, is a very cruel thing,” said McKenzie.
“My heart goes out to his family, who have received news no family should ever have to receive, and to his friends and everyone at the Lions and in the wider rugby community who knew him.
“To the Lions players who must take the field in La Rochelle tomorrow: you will be carrying a terrible weight, but you will not be carrying it alone. South Africa is behind you,” McKenzie said.
Privacy
The Minister has asked the public and the media to respect the privacy of Andrews’ family, and to refrain from speculation while the French authorities establish the circumstances of his death.
“May his soul rest in peace.”
Andrews joined the Lions at the start of this season after a spell with Sale Sharks in England, and had already played in every one of the Lions’ URC matches.
Before that, he served the Sharks in Durban for nearly a decade and represented the Junior Springboks in 2015.
