An amateur rugby player died in a car crash after an eight hour post match drinking session, a coroner heard today.
Shane Hedges downed twelve pints of lager, two pints of shandy and two rounds of Sambuca shots following the game last November, the court heard.
The Plymouth inquest was told Shane had been drinking at a sports and social club from 4.16pm until it closed just after midnight.
Toxicology revealed that he was more than three times over the legal drink drive top limit when he drove into a brick wall at 1.35am.
The 25-year-old played prop for Devon side Old Technicians who had taken on Buckfastleigh that afternoon.
Shane, of Plymouth, Devon, was a conscientious slinger and worked for Babcock International at the city's dockyard.
The senior Plymouth and south Devon coroner Ian Arrow heard that Shane had been advised by a bar worker to get a taxi home, but was unable to find a cab.
Deciding to drive instead, he went over a 'give way' junction and straight into a brick wall 'at speed' in his red Ford C-Max car.
Shane died from catastrophic traumatic head injury, a port mortem concluded.
The inquest heard there were no witnesses to the crash, no CCTV and Shane had not been using his mobile phone.
Police investigators found no external factors caused the collision, such as harsh braking or steering, and there were no defects with the vehicle.
They concluded that alcohol impaired his cognitive behaviour.
The hearing was told Shane had drunk 14 pints of lager and shandy as well as two rounds of shots after the rugby game between 16.16pm and 00.12am that afternoon and night.
Police said after failing to find a taxi to take him home, Shane took 'the terrible decision to drive that vehicle that evening'.
His father Derek said Shane was a 'loving and caring son' who 'was such a sensible person'.
He said: "We cannot believe he could get in his car that night."
Coroner Ian Arrow recorded that Shane died as a result of a road traffic collision after playing a rugby match and indulging in celebratory drinks.
