Rugby Player Connor Garden-Bachop Dead at 25 After “Medical Event”

The rugby community is saying goodbye to a beloved member.

Connor Garden-Bachop, a rising rugby star in New Zealand, died following a medical emergency June 17 New Zealand Rugby confirmed. He was 25.

“On behalf of the entire rugby community,” a June 18 statement from the organization began, “the Highlanders, Wellington Rugby, New Zealand Rugby, the New Zealand Māori Rugby Board and the New Zealand Rugby Players Association would like to extend our deepest thoughts and love to the Garden-Bachop family. All of rugby walks alongside the Garden-Bachop family at this time and we are collectively united in our grief.”

The statement added that Connor was “a fantastic” player, noting, “Wherever he played, he was a committed and popular teammate with infectious energy and someone who could light up the room.”

“Most importantly,” it continued, “he was a loving father to his twin girls, a brother, a son and immeasurably loved by all those who knew him.”

According to the Associated Press, Christchurch police released a statement they attended a sudden death in the suburb of Fendalton, but that “the death is not being treated as suspicious and will be referred to the coroner.”