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Lions vs La Rochelle goes ahead after the death of lock Hyron Andrews

The squad chose to play their first ever Champions Cup match in his honour, and there will be a silence before every European match this weekend.

By RuckBee Newsroom1 min read
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The Lions will play their first Champions Cup match without one of their own. Lock Hyron Andrews died at the team hotel in France on the morning of Friday 16 October, the day before the game against La Rochelle.

Andrews was 31. He made 45 appearances for Sale Sharks before joining the Lions at the end of the 2025/26 season. The players and management decided together to play the match as planned, in honour of their teammate.

Lions CEO Rudolph Straeuli said: "We are heartbroken by the passing of Hyron."

SA Rugby president Mark Alexander spoke for the wider South African game: "This is terrible and distressing news; our hearts go out to Hyron’s family and the whole Lions rugby community"

A debut overshadowed

The Johannesburg side had been building towards their first appearance in Europe's top club competition. Instead, they now play it in the shadow of Andrews' death, and the tournament will mark it too: there will be a moment's silence in his memory before every Champions Cup and Challenge Cup match this weekend.

Sources

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