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Home / Sport / Rugby / Rugby Sevens

Fiji sevens coach Gareth Baber shuts down claims he was in a fatal NZ car crash

By Cheree Kinnear
NZ Herald·
5 Dec, 2017 07:45 PM3 mins to read

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Fiji sevens coach said the fake report he had been killed in a fatal New Zealand car crash was "sickening". Photo / Getty

Fiji sevens coach said the fake report he had been killed in a fatal New Zealand car crash was "sickening". Photo / Getty

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Fiji sevens coach Gareth Baber says a cruel hoax about him being killed in a New Zealand car crash is "sickening" and "horrible".

The glonews360 website posted the story which claimed Baber was one of two people who had died in the fatal crash in the South Island.

The fake news story which reported that Gareth Baber was killed in a fatal car crash on New Zealand South Island.
The fake news story which reported that Gareth Baber was killed in a fatal car crash on New Zealand South Island.

The story first appeared a month ago, but has recently resurfaced with some people re-posting it to social media and expressing their condolences.

Terrible, horrible news.https://t.co/WXVZah4aJj

— Sei Williams (@CapS45) December 4, 2017
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Baber has shut down claims of his death saying "its pretty upsetting" after speaking with WalesOnline in Cape Town, where he has landed to prepare for the next leg of the World Sevens Series.

"It isn't very nice at all to read that you have died," said Baber.

"It is mind boggling why someone would do this. I don't understand it."

"When you are away from family and travelling the world, you don't want people to hear that kind of thing... If a member of your family were to see it, it would be a terrible shock.

"I contacted my mum and the rest of my family to let them know I was fine," he said.

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Cardiff Rugby Life also recently shut down the fake reports through Twitter which said they weren't sure why anyone would fabricate his death.

The news story doing the rounds that Gareth Baber has passed away is not true. He was at the Dubai 7s this weekend. Not sure why anyone would fabricate his death, but there you go.

— Cardiff Rugby Life (@CardiffRugbyWeb) December 4, 2017

Read more: Rugby: New Zealand women's sevens team suffer shock defeat
Read more: England's Maro Itoje facing race to be fit for Six Nations after suffering fractured jaw


Details in the fake story reveal it was based on a genuine report from July, using details of the location, car, and the same name of the person who was killed in the fatal crash.

"Saying that about me is one thing," said the former Cardiff Blues coach.

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"To think they have used someone else's name who has actually died is horrendous. It is sickening."

The fake report also contained biographical information about the 45-year-old Baber who played for Cardiff, Pontypridd, Oxford University, Aberavon, Bristol and the Dragons before becoming a sevens coach.

The story was the third erroneous report related to Fijian rugby to have appeared online in the past couple of years.

In 2016 a fake news story reported about Baber's predecessor as a national sevens coach, Ben Ryan.

Then earlier in the year Fiji's test captain Akapusi Qera was said to have died after collapsing during training.

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