Wallaby James O'Connor has paid tribute to a former school mate Halley Appleby, who died a result of injuries sustained in a club rugby match in Australia at the weekend.
Appleby lost consciousness when he suffered brain and spinal injuries in a tackle in Saturday's match between the University of Queensland and GPS in Brisbane.
The 21-year-old's family turned off his life support today after he was declared brain dead.
O'Connor says Appleby's death is a massive shock while the Wallabies lock James Horwill, a member of Appleby's University of Queensland club, extended his condolences over what he described as a "freak accident".
