Irish rugby’s day of tragedy: U-20 crew rocked by demise of participant’s dad and teenagers recognized by the squad

Eire’s under-20 rugby crew is going through a extremely emotional day after struggling two separate tragedies forward of a vital match in opposition to Fiji within the World Rugby Championship.

Final evening one of many crew’s stars Jack Oliver learnt of the demise of his father, Grieg Oliver, after he was killed in a horrifying paragliding crash over Cape Town. 

Oliver, 58, a former Scotland rugby worldwide, is believed to have drowned yesterday after being ‘bashed in opposition to the rocks’ following the freak accident which noticed him plunge down into uneven waves. 

The crew can be having to return to grips with the information of the deaths of two pals, Andrew O’Donnell and Max Wall, after an alleged drinks-spiking incident on the Greek island of Ios over the weekend.

Lining up for the nationwide anthem forward of the crunch match this afternoon, gamers stood arm in arm sporting black arm bands on the pitch at Danie Craven Stadium in South Africa.

Eire crew stand for the nationwide anthem sporting black bands in honour of Grieg Oliver and  two Irish college students, Andrew O’Donnell and Max Wall, at Danie Craven Stadium in South Africa

Munster rugby coach and former Scotland worldwide Greig Oliver, 58, (pictured) has died after a paragliding crash

Current graduates Andrew O’Donnell (left) and his classmate Max Wall (proper), each 18 and from the identical faculty, died in separate tragic incidents over the weekend

Six of the U20s crew had attended Dublin’s St Michael’s School with Andrew and Max, who had been each aged 18. The youngsters had only in the near past completed on the faculty earlier than their tragic deaths.

Talking earlier than the announcement of Oliver’s demise, coach Richie Murphy mentioned his squad was ‘massively devastated’ on the deaths of the 2 boys.

‘I believe the fellows are positively in somewhat little bit of shock, very devastated clearly with what’s occurred,’ he mentioned.

‘I believe that is via the entire squad, clearly these guys know the younger boys rather a lot higher than a few of the different members. Everyone seems to be in the identical form of place the place it is shock. We have our physician readily available, he is taking care of the fellows.’

Murphy continued: ‘We have had numerous conversations with a few them and the fellows had been clearly very upset yesterday however positively feeling somewhat bit higher immediately and possibly, not come to phrases with it, however clarified what’s occurring of their heads.’

Captain Diarmuid Mangan added: ‘Numerous lads in our squad would have recognized the 2 boys.

‘Everyone seems to be simply form of attempting to get across the lads and ensure they’re doing all proper and so they’re being picked up. It is clearly an terrible tragedy and we provide our condolences to the 2 households.’

The feedback got here because it was introduced Greek investigators had been establishing a probe as as to whether O’Donnell and Wall had their drinks spiked.

18-year-old faculty pupil Andrew O’Donnell, pictured with the household canine 

Tributes have been paid to the 2 youngsters, Andrew O’Donnell and Max Wall, as ‘brilliant, sporting, tutorial’ younger males

The 2 18-year-olds had been on a post-exam vacation celebrating the top of their secondary schooling with dozens of classmates who’ve now flown residence immediately after being left ‘traumatised’.

O’Donnell is believed to have fallen and hit his head whereas strolling residence alongside some cliffs to his resort within the early hours of Saturday morning after an evening out in Hora, the capital of Ios.

Police spokesperson Konstantina Dimoglidou told the MailOnline: ‘Whereas the accidents on his neck and head counsel at first look that he strayed astray; that he tripped and fell, we’re additionally exploring legal negligence,’

‘The drinks that he and his classmates consumed could have been tampered with, main him to the state he was in when he left the bar early Saturday to return to his resort.’ 

O’Donnell’s physique was discovered on Sunday morning, and information of his demise later that day brought on his pal Wall to break down from shock. 

In keeping with native media the teenager had a historical past of coronary heart issues. 

The boys’ devastated dad and mom have travelled to Greece to convey residence their stays, whereas their traumatised classmates are returning to Eire through Bristol immediately.

Hours later Jack Oliver realized of the demise of his father Grieg Oliver in a paragliding crash.

Oliver, had been an elite efficiency officer at Irish rugby membership Munster, was simply 58 years outdated. The proud father had been in South Africa to help his son Jack and the Eire squad through the World Rugby U20 Championships.

Throughout a tandem flight from Sign Hill overlooking the coast of Cape City in South Africa, two pilots collided mid-air above Sea Level Promenade, a preferred vacationer space. 

Oliver was reportedly a passenger throughout a tandem flight over the coast of Cape City in South Africa when his craft crashed into one other tandem paraglider. He performed for Scotland 3 times within the 80s and 90s

Jack Oliver arrives at Danie Craven Stadium in South Africa forward of immediately’s U20s match between Eire and Fiji. Jack realized his father was killed in a paragliding accident yesterday

Heartbreaking photographs have emerged of Jack Oliver, an Eire U20s rugby union participant, getting ready for a World Cup conflict in opposition to Fiji immediately

The view paragliders get taking off from Lions Head and Sign Hill of Camps Bay under and the Twelve Apostles mountain vary

Rescue swimmers and paramedics at Rocklands Seashore, Cape City, who had recovered the physique of former Scottish scrum half Greig Oliver, 58.

Oliver’s pilot deployed a reserve parachute and landed safely within the sea, however Greig couldn’t get well from the crash and landed close to the coast.

An eye fixed-witness advised MailOnline: ‘I noticed a paraglider over the water deploy his second parachute about 50 metres up and 50 metres out to sea.

‘Each folks fell into the water, and all of us ran in direction of the wall. The waves had been large, and the 2 guys had been being bashed in opposition to the rocks.’

South African Cling-gliding and Paragliding Affiliation (SAHPA) chairman Louis Stanford mentioned that Greig’s demise represents is the primary tandem fatality within the nation in over 20 years.

‘Usually these tandem operations are run safely in a strict set of parameters. It is a very unhappy accident and the Civil Aviation Authority can be investigating.’

After the double tragedy for the Eire aspect, a minute’s silence passed off forward of their match in opposition to Fiji on the Dannie Craven stadium in Stellenbosch, and can happen in any respect the opposite championship fixtures this afternoon.

Jack Oliver was set to begin kind the bench this afternoon, however has now been taken out of the squad.