(Reuters) – Former New Zealand winger Va’aiga Tuigamala, who also represented Samoa in rugby league, has died at the age of 52, his former club Wigan Warriors announced on Thursday.
Nicknamed “Inga the Winger”, Tuigamala made his All Blacks debut in 1989 and was capped 19 times by the national team, before switching to rugby league and representing Samoa at the 1995 World Cup.
“This morning, Wigan Warriors are deeply saddened to learn of the tragic news that former player Va’aiga (Inga) Tuigamala has passed away,” the club said in a statement.
“Wigan Warriors send their deepest condolences to the family and friends at this awful time.”
The club did not give a cause for his death.
Tuigamala later returned to rugby union and signed for the Newcastle Falcons in a then world-record deal reportedly worth 1 million pounds ($1.34 million).
His former Wigan team mate Kris Radlinski tweeted: “Every now and then a player comes along who touches the heart and soul… Inga was one of them. He was one of the most exciting rugby players to play either code. His presence on the rugby field was huge.”
($1 = 0.7467 pounds)
(Reporting by Dhruv Munjal in Bengaluru, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
