Lions to play La Rochelle match in honour of Hyron Andrews

Hyron Andrews, a 31-year-old lock with the Lions, died while the South African rugby club was touring France, the team said Friday. The Lions and tournament organizer European Professional Club Rugby said the team would play its Champions Cup match against La Rochelle on Saturday, October 17, in Andrews’s honour. The club confirmed Andrews’s death on October 16, a day before the fixture. The squad and management chose to play as planned, EPCR said. The match is scheduled to kick off at 18:30 South African time. The Lions said it would announce details of an additional tribute at a later date. The cause of Andrews’s death has not been established. The La Rochelle public prosecutor said an investigation had opened to determine what happened and that accidental death was the leading line of inquiry. An autopsy was due, but no findings were available in the supplied reports. South African Rugby said Andrews died after a fall at the team hotel and described the death as an accident. That account has not been presented as a final investigative finding. The prosecutor’s inquiry remains ongoing. EPCR said a moment of silence would be held before every Investec Champions Cup and EPCR...