A rugby club was left in shock after Samoan back row forward Kelly Meafua died after jumping off a bridge into the River Tarn hours after a game in France’s second division.
Meafua’s Club Montauban confirmed the 32-year-old did not survive the incident in the early hours of Saturday morning despite the efforts of a teammate.
The teammate, identified in French media reports as a support Christopher Vaotoa, jumped into the water but was unable to save Meafua.
Vaotoa was taken to the hospital with hypothermia and was discharged in good health on Saturday.
The pair reportedly celebrated Montauban’s 48-40 win over Narbonne just hours earlier in the final Pro D2 home game of the season at the Stade Sapiac.
Montauban said the club was in shock after Meafua’s death.
“The entire club is shocked and everyone is thinking of his wife, children, teammates and more generally everyone who loves the club,” the club said in a statement.
“Kelly was a player who was very popular with everyone. His zest for life was contagious and radiant. Today we lost a player, a friend and a brother.”
Born in Samoa, Meafua moved to New Zealand as a teenager but didn’t start playing rugby until he was 20.
After stints with Otahuhu, Auckland Under-21s and Auckland Sevens, he moved to Sydney where he played for West Harbor in the Shute Shield and the Greater Sydney Rams.
He was also a member of the NSW Waratahs extended training squad in 2014 before heading to France in 2015 to play for Narbonne. He had a stint at Beziers before moving to Montauban last year.
He played 24 Pro D2 matches that season and scored eight tries for Montauban.
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