Clubs Honor Hyron Andrews Ahead of Champions Cup Games
Lions and Sale Sharks joined other teams in paying tribute to former Sale lock Hyron Andrews on Saturday, following the 31‑year‑old South African’s death. Andrews died at the Lions’ team hotel on Friday, just a day before the Lions were scheduled to face La Rochelle in their Champions Cup pool match in France.
The Lions confirmed they would go ahead with the fixture in Andrews’ memory, but they were beaten 31‑14. Head coach Ivan van Rooyen explained the decision before the game: “It’s been a tough 24 hours and we’ve decided to celebrate Hyron, show respect to his wife and his children, and celebrate life. It gets taken away so quickly. We’ve had hundreds and thousands of messages from all over the world. It’s not about winning or losing today. It’s not about rugby. We want to show the respect to Hyron, who was an unbelievable guy, an unbelievable player, a world‑class dad and a world‑class husband. Us arriving for the game shows how much he means to us and how much it means to everyone.”
When the Lions entered the field, La Rochelle supporters offered prolonged applause, and a minute’s silence was observed before kick‑off. Both teams wore black armbands, and several players were visibly emotional during the silence. Andrews’ number five jersey was laid on the turf in front of the Lions, and three South African players from La Rochelle – Dillyn Leyds, David Kriel and Salmaan Moerat – presented a commemorative jersey to their opponents.
Tributes were also evident at the weekend’s other Champions Cup and Challenge Cup fixtures, including at Sale. Andrews had spent just over two years with the Premiership club before leaving at the end of last season to return to South Africa.
After Sale’s 47‑27 defeat to Glasgow Warriors, director of rugby Alex Sanderson told BBC Radio 5 Live: “I am really impressed with how the lads have come together, looked after each other and got tighter in the trauma of it. It is a good indication of the strength of the squad and the depth of the culture, how much they want to get around each other and get through it together. Hyron represents a large portion of the squad, in that he came here under‑rated and got opportunities to show what he is capable of. He forwarded his career, made Manchester his second home, settled with his wife and had another child. He left with a lot of good mates and people who consider him one of their best mates. His impact and what he gave off the field was far more than what he gave on it. It is still really raw to process. His two boys are too young to really fathom what is going on but I know the lads close to Hyron have been speaking to his two boys already this morning. We will help their family get through it.”