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Former England and Wasps rugby union star Tom Voyce is believed to have tragically died after reportedly trying to cross a swollen river in his car during Storm Darragh.
Northumbria Police said the 43-year-old was believed to have gone into the River Aln, near Alnwick, Northumberland.
The car was recovered but officers did not find Voyce, although police confirmed on Thursday that a body had been found during the search for the former England player. Identification has not yet taken place, although Voyce’s next of kin have been notified.
Police said Voyce was attempting to cross Abberwick Ford in his car which was then swept away by the river’s current, which had become high due to severe weather from Storm Darragh. It is believed he was swept away while trying to escape and sadly died, with the search continuing until Wednesday.
The rugby community rallied around Voyce’s loved ones, with many messages posted online expressing sympathy and sadness at the situation.
So who is the popular former winger? Here’s everything you need to know:
Tom Voyce was born on 5 January 1981 in Truro, Cornwall, and grew up playing rugby for Penryn RFC and Truro RFC before leaving Cornwall at the age of 16 to join Bath.
He worked his way through the club’s youth and second team sides before making his first team debut at the age of 19 in 2000. Comfortable as a winger or full-back, he played for Bath for three years and scored 15 tries in 55 appearances.
At the same time, he appeared on the England radar, first establishing himself at the under-21s before making his senior England debut aged just 20 during the tour of North America in 2001, coming off the bench in the 48th. -19 victory against the USA in San Diego.
Voyce would win nine England caps between 2001 and 2006, scoring three tries, including two against Samoa in his first Test appearance at Twickenham in 2005.
He started matches against New Zealand and Australia on the 2004 summer tour and was selected for every match of the 2006 Six Nations, a mixture of starts and appearances from the bench while the back jersey wavered between him and Josh Lewsey. England won two and lost three matches in this championship as they finished fourth in the table for the second year in a row.
That summer he was selected for the tour of Australia, but England were beaten 34–3 by the Wallabies in the first Test in Sydney and Voyce was heavily criticized for his performance on the wing. This would be his last international appearance, at the age of 25.
“One match seemed to ruin everything I had done,” Voyce later admitted, candidly, in an interview. “At the time, I was going through a divorce, which I didn’t make public. I was banging my head against a brick wall trying to figure out what had happened and what I wanted from the sport.
Things were going much better at club level, however, after he left Bath for Wasps in 2003 and quickly established himself as a first-team regular.
He helped Wasps win the Premiership title at Twickenham in each of his first two seasons with the Adams Park side – scoring 15 tries in 34 appearances during the 2003-04 campaign, where they also won the Heineken Cup in a season for the ages.
The following year he scored a try in the Premiership final as Leicester Tigers were dispatched to Wasps’ third successive title and he also scored the fastest try in Premiership history in November 2004. After collecting a loose ball straight from kick-off, Voyce slipped under the posts in just 9.63 seconds against Harlequins, beating Martin Corry’s previous record by 14 seconds.
Voyce won a second Heineken Cup with Wasps in 2007, as Leicester were beaten 25-9 in an all-English final, and he went on to win a third Premiership title at the end of the 2007-08 campaign.
His six-year stay with Wasps ended in 2009 after scoring 43 tries in 124 appearances and he returned to the south-west with Gloucester for a three-season spell which included winning the Anglo-Welsh Cup in 2011 .
A final season of professional rugby was with London Welsh in 2012-13 before retiring from the sport at the age of 32.
England legend Lawrence Dallaglio has paid tribute to Voyce, having spent time with him at Wasps and the national team. Dallaglio experienced his own family tragedy when his sister Francesca was killed in the Marquise disaster on the Thames in 1989, when a boat carrying revelers collided with a dredger.
“This is the most horrible news and all I will say at this point is please let’s all respect Tom’s family and their suffering at this time and keep them in all of our thoughts,” Dallaghlio said.
“I myself experienced the same emotions when Francesca was missing and presumed dead. His body was not found for 4 days after the Marquise sank. It’s just such a tragedy. Sending all my love x.
While former England colleague Andy Goode added: “So sad to hear of the presumed loss of my old teammate Tom Voyce, he was a great guy who I had many fun times with. RIP buddy, we will miss Voycey.
And Freddie Burns, the former England and Gloucester fly-half, posted on social media: “My thoughts are with all of Voycey’s family and friends. He was my gym partner from the first days in Gloucester and taught me a lot. I will be forever grateful.
Voyce began working in banking after retiring from rugby. A body has been discovered during the search for the 43-year-old man who went missing during Storm Darragh.
