PHOTO
French rugby town Narbonne has paid tribute to Jerry Collins, two days after the former All Black and his wife died in a car crash and as their baby daughter lay critically injured in hospital.
Organisers said almost 1500 people, many wearing the orange strip of the 34 year-old New Zealander's club Racing Club Narbonne Mediterranee, walked in silence behind a photograph of the family.
A 3m-tall image of Collins, who captained his country three times, was also installed outside the 13th century Archbishops Palace in Narbonne's historic centre.
Southwest France is a strong rugby region and the adopted home of many former and current international players.
Chris Masoe, Collins's cousin who plays for nearby Toulon, attended Sunday's (local time) rally in Narbonne. In Perpignan on Saturday, a retirement testimonial for Samoan Henry Tuilagi became a memorial match for Collins instead.
"Numerous former All Blacks have contacted the club to offer their support and pay homage to their countryman," Narbonne President Anthony Hill told Reuters.
"I'm obviously shocked by the terrible news. Jerry arrived at a crucial moment for us."
Narbonne, who play in France's second division, had been in danger of relegation before Collins arrived.
The 48-test forward and his wife Alana Madill died in a collision on the A9 motorway in the Herault region of southern France.
According to local media reports, their car was hit by a bus. An autopsy on Madill, who was driving at the time, is due to be conducted on Monday to help determine the cause of the accident.
Police told local media that the couple's four-month-old daughter, Ayla, was in a critical but stable condition in hospital in Montpelier.
After his All Blacks career, which ran from 2001 to 2007, Collins also played for Toulon and for the Ospreys in Wales and became a fixture in the northern hemisphere game.
"It's well known around the world what sort of a man Jerry was," tiny southwest England club Barnstaple on their website. "Here at Barnstaple we know those stories are true."
Collins famously was visiting family near the Devon town after the 2007 World Cup and bumped into a club member in a cafe. He ended up turning out for fifth-tier Barnstaple's second team and wore the club's socks in a later appearance for the Barbarians.