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Former Fiji ace Seru Rabeni has died at the age of 37, the player's former club Leicester Tigers have announced.

Reports from Fiji say Rabeni passed away at his Nausori home while having breakfast.

He had recently recovered from illness according to his father-in-law, Viliame Kanatabua, however the cause of his death is not known at this stage.

A tweet from Leicester's official account on Tuesday morning read: "We are shocked and saddened to hear of the passing of Seru Rabeni. Our thoughts go to all his friends and family."

He is survived by his wife and two children aged 7 and 4 years old.

Super Rugby club Highlanders tweeted: "Saddened to hear of the passing of Seru Rabeni today, our thoughts are with your family. #Highlander92"

The Bua-born back appeared for Fiji Sevens in the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester and joined Leicester from New Zealand outfit Highlanders two years later.

Rabeni's five-year career at Welford Road was plagued by injuries, but he still made 63 appearances for the club before he signing for Leeds Carnegie in 2009.

He earned 30 caps for Fiji, scoring 10 points, and also represented the Pacific Islanders combined international team that played from 2004 to 2008.