Shortly before they face England at Twickenham on Saturday, Fiji will pay tribute to a fallen brother. Isireli Temo was a prop for Tarbes, a French third division team, who committed suicide last week, aged 30.

Mosese Rauluni, the Fijian defence coach and former Saracens scrum-half, got to know Temo at a training camp for the 2007 World Cup. “It is so sad,” Rauluni said. “A lot of the boys have been affected, particularly the guys who were near him in France. He was a real character, quite a funny guy. Sometimes that can be a way to cover up your problems. That’s the problem with Fijian guys, they never admit when they are in trouble.”

As ever in these cases no one knows exactly why the tragedy occurred. What is known is that Temo had suffered with injuries and was yet to play a match for Tarbes this season. Those who had been in contact with him say that he was becoming increasingly despondent. Unfortunately, Temo’s suicide is not an isolated case among rugby players from Fiji, Samoa and Tonga who often fall prey to a distressing combination of cultural pressure and ruthless exploitation.