Former Leicester and Fiji centre Seru Rabeni has died at the age of 37, the Aviva Premiership club have announced.
The Bua-born back appeared for Fiji Sevens in the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester and joined Leicester from New Zealand outfit Highlanders two years later.
Rabeni’s career at Welford Road was plagued by injuries and, after a move to Gloucester collapsed, he signed for Leeds Carnegie in 2009.
A tweet from Leicester’s official account on Tuesday morning read: “We are shocked and saddened to hear of the passing of Seru Rabeni. Our thoughts go to all his friends and family.”
Reports from Fiji say Rabeni passed away at his Nausori home while having breakfast. He had recently recovered from illness, according to fijivillage.com.
Super Rugby club Highlanders tweeted: “Saddened to hear of the passing of Seru Rabeni today, our thoughts are with your family. #Highlander92”
He earned 30 caps for Fiji, scoring 10 points, and also represented the Pacific Islanders combined international team that played from 2004 to 2008.
