THE TRIBUTES HAVE been flooding in for the late, great All-Black Jerry Collins in the last 24 hours, after the 34-year-old’s untimely death yesterday morning.
Collins and his partner Alana both died when their car collided with a bus on a French highway, while their three-month old daughter Ayla was airlifted to hospital in a critical condition.
His former club Hurricanes gave him a touching send off yesterday morning in their Super Rugby meeting with the Highlanders, while thousands of rugby fans have been recalling the legendary story of the day he turned out for an English club’s seconds team, just weeks after playing in a World Cup quarter final.
But the most moving tribute of the lot came from friend and former teammate Chris Masoe of Toulon last night. While their spells at Toulon never overlapped, Masoe played with Collins for both the All-Blacks and the Hurricanes.
With Toulon last night taking on Stade Francais in the Top 14 semi-final, Masoe went out of his way to let us know who he was playing for, by writing a special note for Collins on his forearm strapping.
However, Masoe also took an emergency trip to the barbers before the game, bleaching the top of his hair in a nod to his former teammate’s iconic look.
