Final whistle blows too soon for boys' much-loved coach

Hallowed ground: Jason Pearce prepares the Pakuranga Under 9 Mustangs for their Eden Park debut. Photo / Supplied

Jason Pearce had just finished coaching his son's junior rugby team and was walking his "best friend", Jake.

But the fit and healthy 39-year-old never made it home. He suffered a heart attack and collapsed on the footpath, 250m from the family house on Gosford Drive, Pakuranga.

His family are still coming to terms with his death, saying he had never suffered from heart problems before.

Jake, a 3-year-old blue heeler, ran home to where Mr Pearce's 9-year-old son, Josh, and Josh's mother, Kim-Marie, were waiting.

"Jake came back and Kim thought, 'Jase mustn't be far away', but he didn't arrive," said Mr Pearce's mother, Sue. "She walked down the driveway and the ambulance was there."

It is understood a member of the public came across Mr Pearce and called an ambulance. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Mr Pearce was farewelled by up to 500 people in a service at Pakuranga Rugby Club this week.

When his sister Nikki phoned Sue Pearce and husband Alan to tell them their son was dead, the couple were in Rome, where they were to holiday for a month. They had been there only a day.

"It was a total shock," Mrs Pearce said. "We are absolutely gutted. Our first thought was to get on the first plane and come home."

Jason Pearce, who was born in Whakatane but lived in Auckland, had worked as a plumber at Somerfield & Wilson, New Lynn, for 18 years.

A former Trident High School student, he was a keen surfer, indoor cricketer and touch player.

But his passion was coaching his son's junior rugby team, the Pakuranga Under-9 Mustangs.

The club's rugby development officer, Thomas Cole, said Mr Pearce stepped up last year to help him coach the team because Mr Cole's other rugby commitments meant he couldn't attend their games on Saturdays.

Feeling more confident in his coaching, Mr Pearce took on the head coach role this year.

Much to the delight of the Mustangs, Mr Pearce arranged for them to play one of their matches at Eden Park, curtain-raiser to an Auckland NPC game which the team watched together.

"He did the right thing and stepped up to help when no one else could," Mr Cole said. "All the kids looked up to him. He was the voice on the field when the kids needed it."

The Mustangs, who performed a haka at Mr Pearce's funeral, will pay tribute to their coach in a match at Bell Park today by wearing black armbands.

Josh has also been asked to run the ball out for the Pakuranga premier squad when they play Ponsonby after the Mustangs' game.

He will run on to the field next to the senior side's captain, as his team form a guard of honour.

Mr Cole said the team had talked about Photoshopping Mr Pearce into their team picture at the end of the year in memory of him.