Lions mourn Hyron Andrews, disclose cause of death

Julian Redelinghuys was a Lions and Springbok tighthead prop whose passion for rugby and sheer good-naturedness made him one of the most popular players in the local game.

Sadly he was forced to retire after fracturing his neck when he was 27. But he has remained a cheerful, positive presence at Ellis Park, first as a mentor for young players and lately as the scrum coach.

Redelinghuys embodies the spirit of rugby but he said this week that even he has gained a new appreciation for the unifying ability of the great game after the outpouring of sorrow and support the Lions have received in the wake of lock Hyron Andrews’ tragic passing.

The 31-year-old died from an aortic dissection — the official cause of death disclosed by the Lions on Wednesday — in the team hotel the day before their Champions Cup debut against La Rochelle in France. The way the Lions’ opposition rallied around their visitors was phenomenal and the match, on Saturday afternoon, was an incredibly moving affair as the crowd warmly welcomed the Gauteng team onto the field, there were extremely emotional pre-game ceremonies and then the whole crowd applauded again for the entirety of the fifth minute to pay tribute to the No 5 lock.

In less public settings, La Rochelle players, staff (including head coach Ronan O’Gara) and executives spent private time with the touring team.

“The support from everyone has been unbelievable, including the La Rochelle staff, leadership, players and supporters. Their sorrow really felt authentic and respectful and helped us to get closure from a really shocking event,” Redelinghuys said this week.

“Talking to Jaque Fourie and Morne Steyn, who have played in World Cups and British and Irish Lions series, they also say the match was one of the best experiences they have had in the game. From the moment we arrived at the stadium, through the applause in the fifth minute and in the changeroom afterwards, it was unbelievable.

“How the rugby community stood together was wonderful and really close to the heart to see. It’s how it should be, but it is really good to see it when it happens. It must be war between the four lines, but outside of that, rugby is the gentleman’s game. And we felt the love from South Africa over here as well,” Redelinghuys said.

The 37-year-old also revealed what had happened within the camp after the awful news had landed like a nuclear bomb.

“To say it’s been rough has been an understatement. But we had a long travel day on Sunday and the mood under the circumstances is good. We were having a busy day, doing our walk-through when the news came through. People were made immediately available to speak to the players and management.

“The grief was real and tough, but we supported each other and there were several contact points for the players. My wife is a grief counsellor and was coincidentally travelling in France, so she was able to be with us that night, and Bronwyn Dodds, the Lions player welfare manager, was amazing.

“Everyone grieves differently and you have to respect everyone’s process. Deciding whether to play or not was one of the most difficult decisions, but the team decided it was how we could be most respectful to the family and we could honour Hyron the most. Naturally there were divided opinions, but then everyone had buy-in and I’m really proud how we handled this. I think we made Hyron proud.”

The manner in which all the different reactors to the tragedy pulled together made the match a memorable encounter, a marvellous game of rugby that was a fitting tribute to Andrews.

The empathetic crowd embraced the Lions, while fully supporting their La Rochelle team, and the Lions responded with a magnificent effort on the field. They lost 31-14, but had a late try they scored not been disallowed — the TMO spotting the tiniest of forward passes — then the Lions would have trailed just 21-24 with eight minutes remaining.

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