Lions lock Hyron Andrews dies at team hotel before Champions Cup opener in La Rochelle
SA Rugby called the death an accident and said the 31-year-old died after a fall, as his new club confirmed it will play Saturday's match in his honour.
Hyron Andrews, the Lions lock who joined the Johannesburg union this season, has died at the team’s hotel before Saturday’s Champions Cup match against La Rochelle in France. He was 31.
SA Rugby said his death was an accident and that he died after a fall. The Lions confirmed the death at the team hotel in Johannesburg. As BBC News Africa reported on 16 October, Andrews died before the opening round of Europe’s premier club competition, in which the Lions are making their first appearance.
The Lions said they will fulfil the fixture, which kicks off at 17:30 BST, in his honour. A moment’s silence will be observed at all of the opening round’s fixtures.
“We are heartbroken by the passing of Hyron,” Lions chief executive Rudolf Straeuli said. “He was not only a gifted rugby player, but also a cherished member of our Lions family having recently joined us this season.”
Straeuli extended the union’s sympathies to Andrews’ wife Maighlin, their young sons Hendrix and Emerson, and the wider family. “We stand with them in their sorrow and will remember Hyron with great affection and respect,” he said.
SA Rugby president Mark Alexander said the news was terrible and distressing. “There are no words to adequately convey our shock and the depth of sympathy we feel for his wife Maighlin, and for his extended family, friends, team-mates and loved ones during this time of immense sorrow,” he said. “His untimely passing is a devastating loss, and we share in the grief of all who knew and loved him.”
Andrews began his career at the Sharks in Durban, where he played alongside Springbok Rugby World Cup winners including Siya Kolisi, Eben Etzebeth and Lukhanyo Am, and represented the Junior Springboks in 2015. He moved to Sale in February 2024 as injury cover for England lock Jonny Hill and made 45 appearances for the English club before returning home at the end of last season.
Sale director of rugby Alex Sanderson said Andrews had made a second home in Manchester. “Hyron was just a brilliant guy and a brilliant team-mate,” he said. “He was so skilled on the field but off it, he was always someone you would want to have a beer with.” Sanderson described him as a loving husband to Maighlin and a doting father to his two sons, and said it was a privilege to have known him.
For South African rugby, the death lands in the middle of a young season and at the start of a competition the local unions fought to enter. South African sides were introduced to the Champions Cup in the 2022-23 season, and the Lions, who play their home matches at Ellis Park, qualified for the first time on the back of a strong start to the United Rugby Championship. They have won two of their first three matches this season, including a win over defending champions Leinster in their opening game, and Andrews had played in all three, making his first start for the club in Saturday’s 57-15 defeat by the Bulls.
In an interview with the Mapantsula a Rugby Show published earlier this week, Andrews spoke about the Johannesburg attractions he had visited since arriving in the city. “We work hard here, it’s good to decompress, get away and spend some time with the family,” he said. “When the family is happy, you are happy and it shows when you go to work.”
The death comes 10 years after Munster coach Anthony Foley died in Paris on the eve of a Champions Cup fixture against Racing 92. Munster’s current players will wear commemorative tops featuring the club crest and Foley’s shirt number eight as part of their pre-match routine on Saturday.
