Royal Navy rugby player found dead at miltary world cup in France

Aug 18, 2023

Player’s body was found on a rocky stretch of the coast in Brittany

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The Royal Navy said it is assisting the French authorities with the investigation

A British armed forces rugby player has been found dead at a popular seaside resort in France during the military world cup competition.

The Britain’s Armed Forces Rugby (AFR) player was found on a rocky stretch of the coast in Dinard, Brittany at around 10am on Tuesday morning, shortly after he was reported missing.

He has not yet been named but The Independent can confirm the player was part of the naval service. His body was identified by two of the team’s coaches.

The UK Armed Forces Rugby team and the competition organisers have not yet commented on the death but the Royal Navy said it is assisting the French authorities with the investigation.

An autopsy was scheduled for Wednesday, local prosecutor Fabrice Teremel said. Initial investigations suggested that the player may have died in an accidental fall, he added.

The International Defence Rugby Competition was founded in Australia in 2007 and is held every four years.

It is organised by the armies of the host country of the professional rugby world cup and serves as a preamble to that competition.

The French armed forces are hosting this year’s competition, which takes place between 16 August and 10 September.

Some 12 allied nations are taking part in the competition, which will be comprised of 30 matches due to take place in 24 different cities in Breton, northeast France.

AFR beat Spain in the competition on Monday and face Fiji in the semi-final, which is scheduled to take place on Sunday.

A Royal Navy spokesperson said: “Our thoughts and sympathy are with the family and friends and the individual’s next of kin have been informed.

“We are assisting the French authorities with their investigations and therefore are unable to comment further.”

The Foreign Office has been contacted for comment.

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The Royal Navy said it is assisting the French authorities with the investigation

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