Former New Zealand rugby international Jerry Collins has died in a car crash in France.

New Zealand's foreign ministry said it couldn't give further details and it would be up to French authorities to determine how the crash happened.

The ministry said the New Zealand Embassy in Paris was in contact with French authorities.

Collins, 34, was a loose forward who made his test debut in June 2001 against Argentina. He played 48 tests for the All Blacks.

He also played for the Wellington provincial team and the Hurricanes Super Rugby team.

Collins rose from humble beginnings to become one of the most feared and admired rugby players of his generation.

He was born in Apia, Samoa and raised in Porirua, a blue collar suburb on the outskirts of the New Zealand capital Wellington. He showed huge potential at an early age, winning selection for the New Zealand secondary schools team and being voted Player of the Tournament at the Junior World Cup in 1999.

His elevation to the All Blacks in 2001, his first season in Super Rugby and at the age of only 20, was no surprise and, though injury briefly interrupted his international career, he returned to the All Blacks from 2003 to become a regular starter.