Hyron Andrews cause of death confirmed as a torn aorta after French autopsy

A French autopsy has found that Hyron Andrews died of natural causes after a tear in his aorta. The Lions gave the finding in a statement released on behalf of the lock's family on Wednesday 21 October 2026.

According to the statement, the autopsy showed Andrews died of an aortic dissection, which most likely happened on an aortic aneurysm. French authorities described it as a natural tear in the aorta that caused a large amount of blood to collect in the sac around the heart.

The result answers the question that has hung over the club since last week. Andrews, who was 31, was found unresponsive in a shower at the team's hotel on the Île de Ré on Friday 16 October 2026. He died there, before the Lions were due to play La Rochelle in the Investec Champions Cup. The public prosecutor had ordered a full autopsy into the lock's death to pin down exactly how he died.

His body is still in the care of the French authorities while arrangements are made to bring him home to South Africa.

The Lions decided not to ask for the La Rochelle match to be postponed, and the home side won it 31-14. Lions head coach Ivan van Rooyen spoke about the player the squad has lost: "He was a humble, gentle guy who people gravitated towards. He had the ability to pull people closer together."

The squad now has to keep playing while it grieves. "We’ve been saying this since it happened: there’s no manual for this," said assistant coach Julian Redelinghuys. The Lions play Edinburgh next, in the URC.