NICK CAIN
THE death of Nicholas Chauvin, the 19-year-old Stade Francais U21 flanker, has triggered game-changing shockwaves in French rugby.
Chauvin, who suffered a cardiac arrest after breaking his neck following a two-man tackle on him in a match against Bordeaux- Begles two weeks ago, was the third young player to die in French rugby in seven months.
An editorial in L’Equipe, the French national sports daily, pinpointed tackles as the common denominator in the three deaths.
It added that the belief that players can withstand harder, heavier, higher tackles – often made simult...