Player dies: Call for probe into ‘violence’

French great Olivier Magne says rugby may have to look at becoming less violent following the tragic death of a 21-year-old French club player after a preseason friendly.

Former French under-19 international Louis Fajfrowski was replaced in the 60th minute of Pr0 D2 club Aurillac’s match against Rodez on Friday night (Saturday NZ time).

His club announced on its Twitter account that Fajfrowski had died

‘‘as a result of a discomfort in the locker room’’.

French media reports said the midfielder walked from the pitch – accompanied by a doctor – after being stunned in a tackle.

He reportedly later lost consciousness several times and

newspaper reported that he died about 8pm despite the arrival of the emergency services.

‘‘We will find out why he died and if the tackle provoked his death,’’ the local prosecutor’s office told

The prosecutor said when Fajfrowski ‘‘left the pitch his condition did not appear to be alarming. He even wanted to return [to play] afterwards, but he then began to vomit.’’

Magne, a pivotal figure in France’s World Cup semifinal win over the All Blacks in 1999, is Aurillac’s most famous former player. He told a French radio station, that he was shattered at Fajfrowski’s death.

‘‘It’s a whole club, a city, a department and all the French rugby that are affected, who are bereaved, it’s a family member who went away, it’s very sad for French rugby. ‘‘It is necessary to wait for the autopsy, do not draw an early conclusion.

‘‘But there is an evolution [in] professional sports in general. We are going towards more speed, intensity, violence, there are more and more difficult contacts and they could be avoided.

‘‘We will have to quickly provide answers.’’

Magne said rugby must move towards ‘‘less violent’’ tackles.

He said more tackles were being launched ‘‘on the upper body with the shoulder at the level of the head’’. ‘‘That causes a lot of KO [knockouts].’’

Players were often opting to take the collision even when space was available, Magne said.

The Stade Aurillacois club – based in the Auvergne region – said it was in mourning and joined with the French Rugby Federation, through president Bernard Laporte and vicepresident Serge Simon, in sending condolences to Fajfrowski’s family.

‘‘We are going towards more speed, intensity, violence, there are more and more difficult contacts and they could be avoided.’’ Olivier Magne, former French international