Father of Welsh rugby player in heartbreaking tribute after tragic death

The father of a Welsh rugby player who tragically died aged 21 has penned a heartbreaking tribute to his son.

Welsh rugby league player Gabriel Holt, who played for Wigan St Patricks and the University of Central Lancashire, passed away suddenly with his family, friends, coaches and teammates devastated by the sudden loss. Having won three caps for Wales Students last year, the Lancashire-born Holt had been named in this year’s squad for the upcoming Four Nations tournament.

Tributes have poured in for the young man after his tragic passing was announced, with his coach describing him as "a champion" and an "exceptional human being".

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His father, Chris Holt, says he has been touched by all of the messages of support and condolences and has now paid a tribute of his own. Reminiscing about the early days of his son's career, he wrote that he "loved every second" and spoke of Gabriel's pride at playing for the teams he did.

"These comments, they bring a tear to my eye," he wrote on Facebook. "Gabe was a bit of a journeyman, starting at Atherton Dragons when he was five years old.

"Remember when we all had to stand in horizontal sleet. In the winter. Or brush the snow off the pitch before they could play? Aye. We must've been crackers, but they loved rolling in frozen puddles & looking like the creature from the black lagoon at the final whistle...

"After Dragons folded he did a stint at Leigh East & Folly Lane before finally finding his forever home at Pat's," he continued. "He was ever so proud to play for a club with such a reputation & team spirit - 'kick one of us, kick all of us!' & every Monday was simply the start of the countdown to game day, thankfully then in warmer (ish!) conditions for us mardy parents.

"Even after leaving for UCLAN where he loved playing, the academic season allowed him to return to Pat's & play when he could, in his last match scoring a try to level the scores against the difficult Leigh Miners before Pat's prevailed by 2 points. He was champing at the bit to return once he got over his knee injury, especially after being chosen to represent Wales for the second year of asking in the student 4 nations."

"Sadly it wasn't to be. We are forever indebted to Wigan St Patricks who showed him what 'team' meant. Everyone has their role. Everyone has each other's back. Everyone is included. No questions asked. The best game in the world. And he loved every second of it, dislocated limbs included."

Holt, who qualified for Wales through heritage, started playing rugby league for his local side, Atherton Roosters. He then went on to play for Leigh East and Folly Lane before joining Wigan St Patricks' U13s side. He also played for Atherton High School before he moved to St John Rigby College.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help raise £3,000 to help pay for his funeral. As of Wednesday morning, the total number of donations had reached almost double the target amount, with £5,750 raised.

Wales Students head coach Craig Fisher had also paid tribute to Holt in an emotional statement, saying: "Lost for words is somewhat of an understatement. No words will ever be able to articulate what an exceptional human being you were.

"You were a leader, a team-mate, a champion but most of all a friend to everyone you met. I feel privileged to have known you and to have coached you. I know how proud you were to wear the red of Wales and were itching to tear into the 2024 Four Nations.

"As heart-wrenching as it will be that you won’t be with us in person to go to war with us, we will take comfort in knowing that our Angel Gabriel will be with us every step of the way," he added. "God Speed young man. Forever your coach."