Rugby-NZ coroner treating Wainui death as 'suspected suicide'

FILE PHOTO: Britain Rugby Union - Harlequins v Maori All Blacks - Harlequins 150th Anniversary Match - Twickenham Stoop - 16/11/16 Maori All Blacks' Sean Wainui scores a try Mandatory Credit: Action Images / Andrew Boyers Livepic

(Reuters) - The death of Maori All Blacks back Sean Wainui in a car accident last week is being treated as a "suspected suicide", authorities in New Zealand said on Tuesday.

The 25-year-old, who played 10 games for the Maori All Blacks and made 44 Super Rugby appearances for the Chiefs after a spell with the Crusaders, died in a single-vehicle incident in Omanawa, near Tauranga, on Oct. 18.