French rugby hopeful dies following on-pitch heart attack

PARIS: A French teenager has passed away after suffering a heart attack while playing rugby at the weekend.

Nicolas Chauvin, 19, suffered the cardiac arrest while playing for the Stade Francais youth academy at Bordeaux-Begles, the Parisian club said on Wednesday.

The teenager also had surgery on a broken neck following Sunday´s match.

Back-rower Chauvin was tackled in the fifth minute and his pulse was re-established by members of the emergency services on the field before he was taken to a local hospital.

This incident comes four months after the death of another young French rugby player, Louis Fajfrowski, who suffered a heart attack in the changing room after receiving a heavy tackle playing for Aurillac in a pre-season game.