• Lions lock Hyron Andrews, 31, found dead on Friday

• Connacht 45-36 Saracens; Sale 27-47 Glasgow

The Johannesburg-based Lions put up a gritty fight on an emotional Champions Cup debut but came up short 31-14 at La Rochelle as both sides paid tribute to the South African lock Hyron Andrews, who died suddenly at the team’s hotel in western France.

The whole stadium observed a minute’s silence while Andrews’s No 5 shirt was laid on the pitch before kick-off. La Rochelle’s three South African players presented a jersey to their visitors in memory of the player, who died on Friday at Lions’ hotel on the nearby Ile de Ré. A source close to the investigation said that Andrews, who was 31, was found in cardiac arrest in a shower cubicle that was locked from the inside.