Touching tributes have been paid to an “excellent” rugby player who died in a car crash.

Ollie Osgood, 19, of Maldon, died on Sunday, leaving family and friends shocked and devastated.

Ollie had been on a gap year in Australia since summer last year and was due to come home in two weeks in time for his mother’s birthday.

On Sunday in Exmouth, Western Australia, he was a passenger in a car which came off of the road.

Tragically, Ollie and his female companion were killed.

Two others in the vehicle suffered minor injuries.

Ollie, who went to New Hall School in Chelmsford, had played rugby for the Mavericks in Brentwood and also played at Maldon RFC for a brief time.