FIJI – The former Fiji rugby international Seru Rabeni is being remembered as a “cheerful”, “team man” who was “full of life.”

Tributes have been flowing from throughout the rugby community for the former Highlanders and Leicester Tigers flyer, who died suddenly this week at the age of 37.

Rabeni is survived by his wife Naome and their two children, aged seven and four years old.

According to the Fijivillage.com website, Rabeni died while having breakfast at his house in Nasaki, Fiji on Tuesday. It is believed he had a heart attack. He had recently recovered from an illness.

The Fijian Broadcasting Corporation said he was one of Fiji rugby’s “greatest sons” and his death was a shock to the nation.

Nicknamed ‘Rambo’, the former school teacher started his rugby career way back in 1998 with Lautoka and went on to represent Fiji at the 2003 and 2007 Rugby World Cups

​In 2001, Rabeni started studying at the University of Otago, and in the following year he played for Otago in the National Provincial Championship before gaining a Super 12 contract with the Highlanders.

He went on to play 11 games for the Highlanders, mostly in the midfield, back in 2003 and 2004.

After leaving New Zealand, Rabeni played for Leicester and Leeds Carnegie in England and had spells at French clubs La Rochelle and Mont-de-Marsan before getting into coaching.

Leicester Tigers chief executive Simon Cohen said Rabeni was a “lovely, lovely man” and anyone who saw the 2007 English Premiership Final will never forget his performance that day.

Hale T-Pole played with Rabeni for both the Highlanders and Pacific Islanders and was assigned by the Otago Rugby Union to look after him when he first arrived in New Zealand 16 years ago.

T-Pole says things were going well for Rabeni professionally –he was running a few businesses in Fiji and was due to fly back to Hong Kong this week.

“We were there yesterday when we got the news of his passing so I caught up with a couple of rugby Fijian legends I played with and then we had a bowl of kava and talked about Seru and went over and saw him last night at the hospital in Nausori.”

The tributes have been flowing on social media from around the world.

Former Australia winger Lote Tuqiri, who was born in Fiji, tweeted Rabeni was “a great man taken way too young”.

Former Samoa international Eliota Fuimaono-Sapolu labelled him “one of the Pacific Greats” while former England first five Jonny Wilkinson said “what a player and a team man.”

Leicester legend and England World Cup-winner Neil Back also paid tribute to his old teammate.

He said: “Very sad to hear of the passing of Seru Rabeni, my thoughts are with his family, friends and rugby followers around the world. RIP.”

The Pacific Island Players Association says their Fijian rep will find out some details so they can sit down and see how they can assist Rabeni’s family going forward.

- PNC sources