Rugby evening headlines as Springbok coach's wife found dead three years after daughter died at 28

Here are the latest rugby evening headlines on Monday, April 4.

The wife of former Springboks coach Peter de Villiers was found dead in a swimming pool on Monday, according to reports in South Africa.

The body of 62-year-old Theresa de Villiers was found by a family member at a house in Port Elizabeth, and she was declared dead at the scene by emergency services, the Herald reports.

Police spokesperson Captain Sandra Janse van Rensburg said no foul play was suspected. “The deceased is from Paarl but was visiting family in Gqeberha," she said. "She was found in the pool by a family member. The circumstances surrounding the drowning is under investigation."

The outlet said the former Springboks coach, who was in charge during the British and Irish Lions' tour in 2009, said he was unable to talk about what had happened.

In 2019, the family was rocked when their 28-year-old daughter Odille died after suffering with cancer. The tumour on her chest - an aggressive lymphoma - was too close to her heart to be surgically removed.

World Rugby chief executive officer Alan Gilpin believes the large number of red cards being handed out will drop as players and officials adapt to the crackdown on foul play. Super Rugby Pacific, in particular, has seen a number of red card incidents.

"The most important issue for the game is safety," Gilpin said, via PlanetRugby. "From our perspective we’re trying to make the game as safe as possible, but at the same time having a great spectacle. We want people to want to watch and play rugby, and we want kids to be inspired by that. So it’s a really tough balance to strike.

"I think we’ve gone out with a really strong message in terms of sanction around head injury and head impact, in particular,