Former All Blacks captain Jerry Collins and his wife have been killed in a car crash in France, New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said on Friday, reports The Irish Times.
The couple died in the crash in the early hours of Friday on the A9 motorway in Herault, southern France, according to local media reports.
Collins’ wife, Alana Madill, was also killed, according to the Le Figaro newspaper, while their daughter has been taken to hospital in a serious condition after the collision with a bus.
The 34-year-old, played 48 tests for the All Blacks and captained them three times. He was playing for Narbonne in France’s second division.
Collins was travelling near the town of Beziers in southern France when his car was involved in a collision with a bus at 4.30am local time (3.30am BST).
A New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson said: “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade has been advised of a serious vehicle accident in France in which All Black rugby player Jerry Collins was killed.”
A message from the All Blacks official Twitter account read: “We are shocked and saddened by reports about the accident involving Jerry.”