Former Samoa sevens player Kelly Meafua has died after jumping off a bridge in France.
The 31-year-old was reportedly celebrating his Montauban team's win over Narbonne in the French second division, leaping from the 20-metre high Pont-Vieux bridge into the river Tarn.
Teammate Christopher Vaotoa jumped into the water in a bid to save Meafua, and was later rescued by firefighters and taken to the hospital with hypothermia.
Meafua's body was discovered the next morning.
"Everyone at USM is in complete shock," the club said. "Kelly was so well liked.
"We haven't just lost a player, but also a friend and brother."
Meafua played sevens for Samoa on the world series circuit, before heading to France to play for Narbonne in 2015.
He returned to play for Beziers in 2018, before switching to Montauban last season. This season, he played 24 matches in Pro2, scoring eight tries.
He also played for Auckland club Otahahu and featured for the Waratahs during the rugby 10s tournament in 2018.
