Young man dies after tag rugby match

A 23-YEAR-OLD man has died following a tag rugby game in Dublin.

Hugh Williams, a student from Co Kilkenny, collapsed after playing a tag rugby game with his team, Tag Barbarians, in St Mary’s College in Templeogue on Monday evening.

He was attended to by team-mates and by medical personnel until an ambulance arrived.

He was taken to Tallaght General Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The Irish Tag Rugby Association said it wanted to extend its deepest sympathy to his parents, family and friends.

“Hugh was a regular and popular competitor in the tag rugby scene, which is stunned by his sudden death,” it said in a statement.

Hugh Williams had recently graduated from a Scottish university and had played regularly in the Men’s Super League Tag.

Thousands of players across the country take part in the non-contact sport on a weekly basis.

A minute’s silence will be observed at all matches this week. A planned fancy dress competition for teams this week has been put on hold.

Last year, the Irish sporting world was shocked by the sudden death of Tyrone football star Cormac McAnallen from an extremely rare viral condition of the heart. It was followed by the sudden death of John McCall, 18, in an international rugby tournament.

A post mortem will be carried out to determine the cause of death.