French rugby was left mourning the death of a 23-year-old student on Monday, the fourth young player to have died in eight months.
Nathan Soyeux, who was not registered with the French rugby federation (FFR), passed away in Dijon on Sunday, having been admitted to hospital after an adverse reaction to a tackle in a match at a tournament for engineering schools on November 24.
Soyeux sustained the blow whilst being tackled by an opponent and was at first able to sit up before complaining of nausea and then losing consciousness.
Taken to Dijon hospital, the player was put in an induced coma for two weeks, but his health deteriorated following efforts to bring him around, according to his engineering school, Esirem.
Soyeux becomes the fourth young French player since May to die after being injured during a match.
In December, Stade Francais youth flanker Nicolas Chauvin, 18, died after breaking his neck. In August Louis Fajfrowski, 21, died following a heavy tackle playing for Aurillac and in May 17-year-old Adrien Descrulhes passed away a day after receiving a blow to the head playing for amateur club Billom.
European rugby will pay tribute to @SFParisRugby academy player Nicolas Chauvin who tragically passed away in the past week
All teams will honour a one minute applause before kick-off in all Champions Cup, Challenge Cup and Continental Shield matcheshttps://t.co/yqgSnDhoh5 pic.twitter.com/8JB2gKq5bz
— Heineken Champions Cup (@ChampionsCup) December 14, 2018
Chauvin’s death prompted France’s Sports Minister Roxana Maracineanu to call on rugby authorities to make the game safer, with the former Olympic swimmer saying she would meet FFR president Bernard Laporte to discuss ways of preventing more deaths.
The FFR confirmed in December it will put together a global forum alongside World Rugby, the sport’s governing body, to discuss player health and the evolution of the game’s laws in March 2019 in France.