The Lions have confirmed how second-row Hyron Andrews died after the 31-year-old was found unresponsive in a hotel room ahead of the club's Champions Cup debut against La Rochelle

South African rugby club the Lions have confirmed the cause of death of Hyron Andrews, who tragically passed away last Friday, just 24 hours before the team’s historic Champions Cup debut. The 31-year-old was found unresponsive in a shower cubicle in his hotel room on the morning of the clash against La Rochelle.

Despite desperate attempts by emergency services to revive him, he was pronounced dead at the scene. South African Rugby Union officials initially reported that Andrews had died following a fall at the hotel, prompting an investigation into the circumstances surrounding his sudden death.

However, following a post-mortem examination, the Lions issued an official statement confirming that Andrews had died from an aortic dissection.

Make sure you never miss the most fun content in sport by making the Daily Star one of your Google preferred sources.

"Lions Rugby Company, on behalf of the Andrews family, confirms that, following an autopsy report, Hyron's death was found to be caused by an aortic dissection," the statement read. "This dissection most likely occurred on an aortic aneurysm.

"The French authorities, who conducted the autopsy and, in whose care Hyron's body currently remains, described the cause of death as 'a tear in the aorta (due to natural causes), which led to a significant accumulation of blood within the sac surrounding the heart'.

"The Andrews family asks for respect, privacy and patience during this difficult time as the repatriation process begins.

"A timeline for the return of Hyron's body to South Africa has not yet been determined. Further information will be communicated when it becomes available and under the guidance of the family."

The former Sale Sharks lock had only recently joined the Lions, having returned to South Africa this summer following two years in England.

He is survived by his wife, Maiglin, and their two young sons.

Despite the heartbreaking circumstances, the Lions went ahead with Saturday's fixture against La Rochelle - with both sides paying their respects to the second-row before kick-off.

His No. 5 jersey was placed on the pitch as players stood for a minute's silence, with a number of Lions players visibly struggling to hold back their emotions.

The choice to proceed with the match so shortly after the tragedy has drawn criticism from some quarters, with former England internationals Chris Ashton and Danny Care questioning whether the players should have taken to the field last Saturday.

The Lions will return to URC action this Friday, with their upcoming opponents, Edinburgh, having already made contact with the Johannesburg club.

Edinburgh attack coach Tim Sampson said head coach Sean Everitt had contacted people within the Johannesburg-based club to offer support during an extraordinarily difficult week for the South African side.