Former Sale Sharks player Hyron Andrews’ cause of death has been confirmed

Andrews was found dead just one day before a scheduled Champions Cup fixture.

The 31-year-old was found dead in a hotel shower cubicle last Friday, and had been travelling with his team to face French club La Rochelle in the Champions Cup.

Andrews had been staying at the Hôtel Atalante on l’Île de Ré, near La Rochelle.

The Lions from Johannesburg have issued a statement, confirming that a post-mortem examination has taken place, and that the rugby player likely suffered an "aortic aneurysm," before passing away.

The statement reads: "The French authorities, who conducted the autopsy and, in whose care Hyron’s body currently remains, described the cause of death as a tear in the aorta (due to natural causes), which led to a significant accumulation of blood within the sac surrounding the heart."