A statement is released by the club following the terrible death of the father of a Wales rugby international.

Wales rugby international’s father dies in tragic circumstances as club issues statement

Players will wear black armbands at this weekend’s west Wales derby between Scarlets and Osprey

Sam Wainwright

Following the passing of Shaun, the father of Wales international Sam Wainwright, the Scarlets released a statement.

Following the devastating news, Wainwright, 25, will not participate in this weekend’s west Wales derby against the Ospreys. Before the match in Swansea, there will be a moment of silence and his teammates will be sporting black armbands.

“The thoughts of us all at the Scarlets are with Sam Wainwright, his family, and partner Ellie following the tragic passing of Sam’s father last weekend,” a Scarlets statement said.

Originating from Bodelwyddan, a community close to Rhyl, Prop Wainwright received his maiden Wales call-up prior to the South Africa trip last year and was instrumental coming off the bench in the historic triumph over the Springboks.

He has previously discussed the significant influence his family has had on his work, stating: “Without the support of my parents, Shaun and Linda, and fiancé Ellie, I would never have made it this far.” Every other week, my parents would make the four-hour trip to South Wales to watch me play.

“It was astounding how much food they had to purchase me to reach the proper weight when I was having trouble gaining weight. I put 18 kilos on in 34 weeks, and given we were working class the price of the food made it tough.

“My dad had to drive me three hours down the road to train, and then three hours back,” I recall saying while on a family vacation in Southport.

In September, Sam Wainwright and his partner Ellie welcomed their daughter Romi, marking his first fatherhood.

“With a heavy heart, Rhyl Rugby Club has just learned of the very sad passing of Shaun Wainwright, a devoted and loving family man,” the statement from Rhyl RFC said.

“The entire family is heavily connected in the club; Shaun’s grandson Levi is still heavily involved with our u13s squad, and his son Sam is actively involved in our junior division.

“We would like to send our deepest thoughts to Linda, his wife, and the rest of the family – our rugby family will stand together… RIP Shaun.”

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