An autopsy has revealed that former Sale Sharks lock Hyron Andrews, who was found dead at his new team’s hotel base before a Champions Cup match in France, died of natural causes after a tear in the aorta — the major artery carrying blood from the heart.
Hyron Andrews (Credits: BBC Sport)
The 31-year-old had joined the Johannesburg-based Lions this summer after two and a half seasons with Sale Sharks, whom he joined midway through the 2023-24 season. He was found unconscious in a shower cubicle on Saturday, with investigators initially working on the theory of a fall, a heart attack — or, as transpired, an aneurysm.
What the autopsy found
According to the autopsy, Andrews suffered a tear in his aorta, and the rupture led to blood filling the muscle sac surrounding his heart. A tear in the aorta is a rare and dangerous medical condition, which can be caused by undetected high blood pressure or a birth defect.
His body is yet to be returned to his native South Africa. Andrews’ wife Maighlin, with whom he had two young sons, has asked for “respect, privacy and patience during this difficult time as the repatriation process begins,” the Lions said in a statement.
Tributes pour in
His team-mates went ahead with their game against La Rochelle on Saturday in his honour. The visitors were applauded into the Stade Marcel-Deflandre by home fans, while several of the Lions players were in tears during a minute’s silence before kick-off.
Sale also paid tribute, with director of rugby Alex Sanderson saying his team “to a man, loved playing with Hyron and being around him.”
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Source: BBC Sport — read the full story there.
