British Lions coach Rob Walton drowned after he was hit by a freak wave. Photo / Twitter.
A former team mate of All Blacks legends Richie McCaw and Dan Carter has been killed by a freak wave while swimming in France.
Englishman Rob Walton, 36, played for Canterbury B alongside McCaw, Carter - in Auckland preparing for Saturday's Bledisloe Cup decider - and another future All Black
Chris Jack, according to his coaching profile.
Walton, a father of four who was known as 'Yogurt', played through the grades at the Hinckley rugby club in Leicestershire and came to New Zealand in 2001 and turned out for the Shirley club.
He had gone into the water on one of his children's body boards at Labenne beach, near Biarritz.
A city spokesman said Walton may have fallen ill or been hit by a wave while a police source told the Mirror: "He was hit in the spine by a big wave and suffered whiplash injuries."
