25 May 2017

Nelson rugby player dies five days after collapsing during match

3:03 pm on 25 May 2017

Five days after collapsing following a cardiac arrest during a rugby game, Nelson club rugby player Bevan Moody has died.

The 22-year-old prop had been in an induced coma at Nelson Hospital since Saturday after he collapsed in the second half of a match between his club Waitohi side and Nelson.

Moody, who represented the Marlborough senior representative team while still at college, also represented Tasman at age-grade level.

Bevan Moody during his final match for Waitohi.

Bevan Moody during his final match for Waitohi. Photo: Photosport

He was a New Zealand under-20 triallist, and on the fringes of selection for the Tasman national provincial championship team.

Moody's family, partner Kendra and two-year-old daughter Maddison, are being supported by New Zealand Rugby, and the Rugby Foundation, an organisation which supports injured rugby players and their families.

New Zealand Rugby has expressed its condolences.

"It's gutting to see a young man die while playing the game he loved. It's wrong and hard to make sense of when someone dies at such a young age," said NZR General Manager of Rugby Neil Sorensen.

"I met Bevan at Under 20 camps, he was a neat young man and a talented player who had many years of rugby, but more importantly life, ahead of him.

"Our thoughts go out to his family, especially his partner and his young daughter, and his team mates who will be taking this sudden loss really hard. The immediate focus is ensuring Bevan's family and his mates are fully supported."