Lions play through grief at La Rochelle a day after Hyron Andrews' death

The Lions lost 31-14 to La Rochelle at Stade Marcel-Deflandre on Saturday night. The score mattered far less than the fact that they played at all. On Friday morning their lock Hyron Andrews, 31, was found unresponsive at the team hotel on Île de Ré and could not be resuscitated.

The Johannesburg side chose to go ahead with their first Investec Champions Cup match in his honour. EPCR, the tournament organiser, confirmed the decision on Friday and said a minute's silence would be held before every Champions Cup and Challenge Cup match this weekend.

A stadium stands for number five

Before kick-off, Andrews' number five jersey was laid on the pitch while the crowd kept a minute's silence. Ruan Delport wore 24 so that the number went unused. Several Lions players were in tears during the tribute, The Irish Times reported, and La Rochelle supporters formed a guard of honour for the visitors.

La Rochelle's South Africans, among them Dillyn Leyds and Salmaan Moerat, presented a jersey to the Lions in Andrews' memory. When the clock reached five minutes, the stadium rose and applauded for a full minute. By then the Lions had already scored, through a converted try by Henco van Wyk.

The visitors trailed only 19-14 at the break after a second score from Morne Brandon, with Tevita Ofa and Davit Niniashvili on the scoresheet for the hosts. La Rochelle, two-time European champions, pulled away after half-time through Silatolu Latu and Avakuki Niusalelekitoga to take a bonus point.

La Rochelle coach Ronan O'Gara said he "never imagined we would play a match after yesterday's news". "There are more important things than rugby," he said. "Our thoughts should be about Hyron's family and it's another example of the fragility of life."

What is known about his death

The Lions confirmed on 21 October, on behalf of his family, that an autopsy found Andrews died of an aortic dissection, which most likely occurred on an aortic aneurysm. French authorities described it as a tear in the aorta from natural causes that led to a significant build-up of blood in the sac around the heart. The La Rochelle prosecutor said Andrews was found in a shower cubicle locked from the inside at the team hotel, about an hour after a hammam session, and had shown no sign of health problems in the days before. A date for returning his body to South Africa has not been set.

From Paarl to the Lions

Andrews was born in Paarl and went to Hoërskool Garsfontein in Pretoria. He played for the Junior Springboks in 2015 and came through at the Sharks in Durban before moving to Sale Sharks in England, first as short-term injury cover near the end of the 2023/24 season. He stayed for two more seasons and made 45 appearances for the club, then joined the Lions for this campaign.

"We are heartbroken by the passing of Hyron," said Lions chief executive Rudolph Straeuli, who described him as a gifted player and a cherished member of the Lions family. SA Rugby president Mark Alexander called it "terrible and distressing news", adding that "our hearts go out to Hyron's family and the whole Lions rugby community".

At Sale, director of rugby Alex Sanderson remembered him as "a brilliant guy and a brilliant teammate", and as a loving husband and a doting father.

Andrews is survived by his wife, Maiglin, and their two young sons, Hendrix and Emerson. The Lions have asked that the family's privacy be respected.