Tongan rugby player Feao Latu died from a heart attack during a French third division match, police confirmed on Wednesday.

The 28-year-old Perigueux flanker, who had recently married and was the father of two young children, collapsed barely 15 minutes into his side's top-of-the-table match at Cahors on Sunday.

Latu had complained of feeling unwell when Cahors had scored a try in their Third Division Pool Five clash.

While the players waited for the conversion, Latu fell to his knees and signalled to the bench and the club doctor for attention.

Latu was pronounced dead in hospital following 45 minutes of emergency treatment on the side of the field, which included waiting for a defibrillator to arrive with the emergency services.

Unlike First and Second Division rugby matches, it is not obligatory to have one at the ground for the Third Division.

The results of blood tests carried out on the player will be known in the next few days. Another Perigueux player Francis Rongieras died in similar tragic circumstances 18 years ago.

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