Stade make Ospreys tickets free in tribute to teenager

Stade Francais have made tickets for the European Champions Cup clash with Ospreys free of charge as they pay tribute to Nicolas Chauvin, who passed away this week.

The Stade teenager died following a serious injury in an academy match against Bordeaux on Sunday.

The club confirmed on Wednesday that Chauvin had suffered a "cervical trauma that resulted in cardiac arrest and cerebral anoxia".

And for their next match – against Ospreys on Friday – the Top 14 outfit will welcome supporters to pay their respects to the 19-year-old.

Announcing free entry to the game, a notice on the Stade website read: "We will meet you at the opening of the gates at 1915 to honour the memory of Nicolas and support his family."

The French Rugby Federation (FFR) has offered its condolences to Chauvin's family and will see a minute's applause take place before matches around the country this weekend.

The FFR added that it has requested an "exceptional meeting" with World Rugby in a bid to continue an "evolution of the rules" in order to protect players.

1/3 La Fédération Française de Rugby et la @LNRofficiel présentent leurs condoléances à la famille et aux proches de Nicolas Chauvin. https://t.co/rKfq19BoT6

— FF Rugby (@FFRugby) December 13, 2018

2/3 La France va continuer d’être une force de proposition majeure pour l’évolution des règles qui concourent à la sécurité des pratiquantes et des pratiquants. C’est pourquoi, la FFR a demandé à @WorldRugby la tenue immédiate d’une réunion exceptionnelle dédiée à la sécurité.

— FF Rugby (@FFRugby) December 13, 2018

3/3 Afin de rendre hommage à Nicolas Chauvin, une minute d’applaudissements sera respectée cette semaine et ce week-end avant le coup d’envoi de toutes les compétitions de rugby amateur et professionnel.

— FF Rugby (@FFRugby) December 13, 2018