Former New Zealand rugby player Jonah Lomu has revealed that ex-All Blacks star Jerry Collins died protecting his baby daughter.
The former flanker and his partner Alana Madill lost their lives almost a fortnight ago when a bus slammed into their car on a dual carriageway near Beziers.
At the public funeral for the 34-year-old in Porirua, Wellington, Lomu gave an emotional tribute to the former Ospreys player in a TV interview.
"You talk about the player that he is and the person that he is, he typified having heart and standing up for what he believed in, but also having everybody's back," Wales Online quotes Lomu as saying.
"Listening to the reports and what they say about how they found him, that he was protecting his baby - that's just typical Jerry. You talk about laying your body on the line and he did that. Any parent knows that."
The couple's daughter Ayla is fighting for her life in hospital.
Danielle Joynson
