Azlan Azhari: Young Player Dies After Collapsing During a Rugby Match

• The rugby world is mourning after the death of a young rugby player was confirmed over the weekend
• The youngster reportedly collapsed during a rugby match and was unable to survive the unfortunate event
• The news about the young rugby star's death sparked tributes from sports fans on social media

The rugby community are mourning the death of a youngster who reportedly passed away after an unfortunate event happened during a rugby match.

It has been confirmed that Azlan Azhari has died at Hospital Sultanah Bahiyah after collapsing during a rugby match over the weekend. He passed away at 22 years old.

The Kedah player had been receiving treatment for internal bleeding and heat stroke after falling ill during Kedah’s Agong Cup Group A clash against Johor in Sintok on Saturday, May 23, 2026.

Azlan, who was unmarried, was also a student at Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris. He is expected to be buried later today at Tanah Perkuburan Masjid Nurul Huda Lepai.

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The South African rugby community recently lost former player Russell Nelson, and also a young player who died during training.

Kedah announce Azlan Azhari's passing

The Kedah Rugby Union described his passing as a devastating loss to the rugby community. In a statement shared on social media, the union extended its condolences to Azlan’s family and said the entire Kedah rugby fraternity was deeply affected by the tragedy.

Azlan reportedly scored a try shortly before half-time in the match before beginning to feel unwell. Although he managed to return to his team’s half for the restart, he later lost stability and collapsed on the field.

Malaysia Rugby secretary-general Fahmy Jalil explained that there was no specific on-field collision or incident directly linked to the internal bleeding suffered by the player.

According to Fahmy, Azlan received immediate medical attention from the match doctor before being transported to the hospital by ambulance.

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Malaysia Rugby also confirmed that all Agong’s Cup fixtures scheduled for this week will observe a minute of silence in honour of Azlan.

Fans pay last respect to Azlan Azhari

Street Sports shared:

"To Allah we belong, and to Him we shall return. O Allah, forgive him, have mercy on him, heal him and pardon him, Ya Allah, forgive him, bless him, glorify his death, ease all his affairs, widen his grave, make paradise his abode and give patience to his family members. May he be placed among those who believe, pious and do good deeds. Amen, Amen, O Lord of the Worlds."

Mohd Saiful Lizan Shukri said:

"To Allah we belong, and to Him we shall return."

Payed Pollard wrote:

"May the soul be placed among the believers. Al-Fatihah."

Atras Ali added:

"We belong to Allah, and to Him we shall return. ya allah, forgive him, bless him, pardon him, forgive his mistakes, glorify his death, widen his grave, make heaven his abode and give patience to his family members. May His soul be placed among the believers.. May the soul of the departed be placed among the prophets and the believers. God willing."

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SA rugby star dies in Western Cape

Briefly News earlier reported that the rugby community all over the world are mourning the death of a South African union rugby star.

The Mzansi rugby star died at the age of 40 in the Western Cape, with the cause of his death yet to be made public, and his funeral date also yet to be confirmed by the deceased's family

Source: Briefly News