The name of the deceased player is Vizicelo Sebenza Zondani and the incident happened at a tournament at Ngqwele Location near King William’s Town on Saturday 24 October 2020.

“This is a tragic incident that should never have happened, and our hearts go out to the family, friends and team-mates of Vizicelo,” said Mr Mark Alexander, President of SA Rugby.

“Unfortunately, this goes directly against our COVID-19 guidelines around return to training, as all amateur rugby matches have been suspended for the year due to the pandemic and all our unions, clubs and other bodies know this.

“This tournament should never have taken place and we will launch a full investigation into the incident, as well as the tournament.”

SA Rugby again reiterated that their COVID-19 Committee (CovCom) had approved a proposal to allow amateur clubs, universities, associate members and schools teams to return to training under certain strict conditions, and that a return to play will not be permitted in 2020. No further comment will be made on the matter.