Samoan rugby player Kelly Meafua has died after falling off a bridge in south-west France, his club said. Montauban, a club in France’s second division, said in a statement over the weekend that the 31-year-old player died in the early hours of Saturday after a fall into the Tarn river.
According to media reports in France, Meafu jumped off the bridge after a night out with friends to celebrate a victory. Montauban said one of Meafu’s teammates tried to rescue him.
The player had to be transported to a hospital, where he was treated for hypothermia.
“Kelly was a player who was well liked by everybody. His joy for life was infectious and radiant. Today we have lost a player, a friend and a brother,” the club said in a statement.
The former Samoa sevens player moved to France in 2015 to play with Narbonne before a return to the southern hemisphere.
He moved back to France’s second division in 2018 with Beziers, then signed with Montauban.
