15-Year-Old Rugby Player Dies After Suffering 'Blow to the Head' During Match: 'Absolute Tragedy'

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Stock image of a rugby player preparing for a kick

A rugby team in France is mourning the loss of one of its 15-year-old players, who it announced had died this week following what it described as an in-game accident.

On Tuesday, March 18, the Saint-Maximin-Brignoles-Val d’Issole (RSMXV) club announced on Facebook that Nicolas Haddad died — just days after the club revealed the teen suffered a "serious playing accident" while playing against Bastia in Corsica on Saturday, March 15, per a post translated from French.

Haddad suffered a "blow to the head" during the match, according to club RC Toulon.

Both the U.S. Sun and the Telegraph reported that the player hit his head while making a tackle during the match, before collapsing on the field and going into cardiac arrest. Haddad was then taken to a hospital in Bastia after a nurse and firefighter assisted him on site of the match, per the Sun, and did not regain consciousness.

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Stock image of a rugby ball

“It is with infinite sadness that we inform you of the death of Nicolas Haddad, a child of the RSMXV from the M6 category and who played as cadets in the agreement of our three clubs and at the RCT,” the club said in a statement, translated to English by both outlets.

“All our prayers go to the family who wishes to preserve their intimacy. Our clubs thank the leaders of Bastia XV, the South Rugby League, the Corsican Rugby League and the FFR for supporting parents and the team,” they continued.

Several local rugby clubs, players and fans paid tribute to Haddad in the comment section of RSMXV's Facebook page throughout the week.

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Patrice Blachere, the co-president of RC Toulon, added in a tribute that the teen — who was part of both RC Toulon and RSMXV — joined the club when he was six and that his rugby achievements were "a source of pride for him and his parents," per the Sun.

"It’s an absolute tragedy. Rugby is in mourning. Nicolas Haddad has left us," Blachere wrote. "All our thoughts go to his wonderful family and all those who supported them."

The co-president added, "He loved rugby, and it is terrible to lose such a passionate young athlete."

RC Toulon will be remembering the late teen during a match against Perpignan over the weekend by showing his face on the field's big screen, with additional matches in Corsica featuring a minute of silence for Haddad, per both outlets.

Haddad's death follows the death of another 15-year-old rugby player in Lincolnshire, England last fall.

On Sept. 24, 2024, Samuel Staple was found dead in his grandparents' home a day after playing in a rugby match. Months later, an inquest into his death was launched before it was shared during a hearing that he sustained a graze to his right shin during the match, and that he felt "unwell" the following day and was pronounced dead. His family has since established the Sam Staple Memorial Fund in his honor.

“It is with a heavy heart and great sadness we have to let you know of the passing of a young member of our rugby family, Sam Staple. Sam sadly passed away on Tuesday 24th September and will be greatly missed by all," Lincoln Rugby Club shared in a statement at the time.

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