Photograph: Icon Sport/Alamy Stock Photo/Alamy Live News.

Player found dead at Lions team hotel before Champions Cup game against La Rochelle

Tragedy struck the Lions rugby squad ahead of their upcoming Champions Cup fixture against La Rochelle when a member of the travelling team suffered a fatal cardiac arrest at their lodging on the Île de Ré. Paramedics attempted resuscitation at the Atalante-Relais Thalasso venue, though the unnamed individual could not be saved, prompting organizers and team officials to offer counseling to the affected players and staff.

The South African club was set to make their premier appearance in the elite European competition following a steep defeat against the Bulls domestically. The sudden loss coincides with the tenth anniversary of the passing of former Munster coach Anthony Foley, who died under similar tragic circumstances in a Paris hotel ahead of a continental fixture in 2016.

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