David Tait, a former back-row forward with Sale, has died at the age of 25, the English Premiership side reported yesterday.

Tait, whose rugby career was cut short by injury, is understood to have fallen from an apartment block in Hong Kong.

“The rugby community will be shattered by the passing of such a gifted and popular young man who was respected by everyone he played alongside,” Rugby Players’ Association chief executive Damian Hopley said in a statement.

“He wasn’t simply a talented rugby player, he was also extremely bright and successful in his life outside of rugby.”

Tait, a corporate finance manager for a multinational firm, spent five years with Sale, who signed him as a teenager.

He was part of England’s training squad for the 2008-09 International Rugby Board world sevens series, but did not play.