Greig Oliver, coaching official with Munster Rugby and former Scotland international, has died in a paragliding accident in South Africa aged 58.
Capped three times by Scotland, Oliver was in South Africa supporting his son Jack who is in the Ireland Under-20 squad at the World Rugby Championship.
An IRFU statement read: ‘The Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) is deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Munster Rugby Elite Performance Officer Greig Oliver following an accident in South Africa on Monday.
‘A former Scotland international, Greig was steeped in Munster Rugby in recent years and held a number of coaching roles with Garryowen, Munster ‘A’ and more recently as Elite Performance Officer, a role he held since 2011.
‘He was also assistant coach of the Ireland U20 side between 2011-14. Greig was the father of Ireland U20 scrum-half Jack, whom he was supporting in South Africa alongside his family.’
Kevin Potts, IRFU Chief Executive, said: ‘On behalf of the Irish rugby community, I would like to extend my sincere condolences to the Oliver family at this extremely sad time.
‘Greig was a hugely popular member of staff and played a key role in the development of many young players during his time at Munster Rugby.
‘Today’s news is an unspeakable tragedy and our thoughts are with Greig’s wife Fiona, children Jack and Ciara, and his many friends, family and colleagues. May he rest in peace.’
There was also comment from Munster Rugby CEO Ian Flanagan, who said: ‘On behalf of Munster Rugby, I would like to express our deepest sympathies to Greig’s wife Fiona, son Jack, daughter Ciara, and the wider Oliver family.
‘We are all in a state of shock following Greig’s tragic passing. He was a great colleague and friend to so many and will be dearly missed across the Munster and Irish Rugby community.
‘Greig made his presence felt each day, he was always there to provide a helping hand and was a hugely popular character with his light-hearted nature and sense of humour.
‘He had an infectious enthusiasm for the game and was incredibly passionate about helping young players be the best they can be on and off the field. May he rest in peace.’
MORE : Just Stop Oil protesters charged by police for throwing orange powder during rugby finale
MORE : Tributes paid to ‘true star’ rugby player, 20, hit and killed by car
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
var notifyQ = function () { var i = 0, l = awaitingReady.length; for (i = 0; i < l; i++) { awaitingReady[i](); } }; var ready = function (cb) { if (fbApiInit) { cb(); } else { awaitingReady.push(cb); } }; var checkLoaded = function () { return fbApiInit; }; window.fbAsyncInit = function () { FB.init({ appId: '176908729004638', xfbml: true, version: 'v2.10' }); fbApiInit = true; notifyQ(); }; return { 'ready' : ready, 'loaded' : checkLoaded }; })(); (function () { function injectFBSDK() { if ( window.fbApi && window.fbApi.loaded() ) return; var d = document, s="script", id = 'facebook-jssdk'; var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) { return; } js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.async = true; js.src = "https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); } if (window.metro) { window.addEventListener('scroll', injectFBSDK, {once: true, passive: true}); } else { window.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', injectFBSDK, {once: true}); } })();
For all the latest Sports News Click Here
For the latest news and updates, follow us on Google News.
