{"id":1085500,"date":"2026-07-13T00:09:18","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T00:09:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1085500\/"},"modified":"2026-07-13T00:09:18","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T00:09:18","slug":"young-rugby-international-dies-days-after-telling-family-about-brutal-training-conditions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1085500\/","title":{"rendered":"Young rugby international dies days after telling family about brutal training conditions"},"content":{"rendered":"

The family of promising rugby player Luqobo Makwedini have revealed his final conversation just days before his sudden death in France<\/p>\n

Luqobo ‘Bibo’ Makwedini tragically passed away(Image: Instagram\/Durban High School)<\/p>\n

The heartbroken family of promising South African rugby player Luqobo Makwedini have revealed the final conversation they had with him just days before his sudden death in France.<\/p>\n

Makwedini, 20, collapsed following a training session with French Pro D2 side B\u00e9ziers at the Stade de la Gayonne on Friday morning.<\/p>\n

He was taken to hospital but died a few hours later, with French media reporting that the young prop is believed to have suffered a cardiac arrest. The precise cause of his death has not yet been officially confirmed.<\/p>\n

His uncle, Mpumi Zuzile, has now revealed that Makwedini had spoken to his family on Tuesday and complained about the heat in France and the intensity of pre-season training.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn Tuesday, we were in contact, and he was in good spirits that the pre-season had started,\u201d Zuzile told Sowetan<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe complained about the heat in France and tough training. We encouraged him to be strong and reminded him he had done this his entire life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Three days later, the talented forward, affectionately known as \u201cBibo\u201d, was dead.<\/p>\n

Zuzile said Makwedini had returned to France on July 3 after spending time at home in South Africa following the end of the season.<\/p>\n

He explained that the youngster had been expected to remain home for six months, but his plans changed when B\u00e9ziers appointed a new coach, former Springboks prop Gurthr\u00f6 Steenkamp, and the squad was called back early for training.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe had been home after months living in France since he finished his matric (exams) in December 2025 and immediately left,\u201d Zuzile said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe didn\u2019t even have an opportunity to enjoy some holidays after writing matric. He only came back at the end of May because the season had finished.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was meant to be back for six months, but the entire team was called back by a new coach. On July 3, he flew back to start training.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite being on a break while back in South Africa, Makwedini continued working to ensure he remained in peak condition.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe would not miss a day at the gym,\u201d Zuzile added. \u201cThat is how dedicated he was.\u201d<\/p>\n

Makwedini\u2019s rugby talent had earned him scholarships to Durban High School<\/a> and Wynberg Boys\u2019 High School, where he completed his education.<\/p>\n

He represented South Africa at under-18 level in 2024 before being recruited into the B\u00e9ziers academy for the 2025\/26 season.<\/p>\n

The prop was regarded as one of the French club\u2019s brightest young prospects and had been tipped to step up to the senior squad ahead of the new Pro D2 campaign.<\/p>\n

Wynberg Boys\u2019 High School paid tribute to their former pupil in an emotional statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur Wynberg community mourns the tragic passing of our much-loved brother, Bibo Makwedini, Matric 2025,\u201d it read.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur thoughts and prayers are with his family, teammates, and school friends. RIP Old Boy, Old Friend.\u201d<\/p>\n

B\u00e9ziers president and former Springbok captain Bob Skinstad said Makwedini had quickly become a valued member of the club.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis commitment, kindness and personal qualities deeply impressed everyone at the club,\u201d Skinstad said.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday, the entire Red and Blue family is united in mourning and deeply shaken by this heartbreaking loss.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wales international Mackenzie Martin, who recently joined B\u00e9ziers, also paid tribute by sharing a photograph of Makwedini alongside a broken-heart emoji.<\/p>\n

Makwedini\u2019s family are now working with South African government departments to repatriate his remains.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The family of promising rugby player Luqobo Makwedini have revealed his final conversation just days before his sudden…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1085501,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[4102],"tags":[22068,4151,44812,79,16,15],"class_list":["post-1085500","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-rugby","tag-france-rugby-team","tag-rugby","tag-south-africa-rugby-team","tag-sports","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116909767934689434","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1085500","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1085500"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1085500\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1085501"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1085500"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1085500"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1085500"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}