Former New Zealand rugby star Jerry Collins and his wife have been killed in a car crash in France, local officials have said.

Collins, capped 48 times for the All Blacks, was near the town of Beziers in the south-west of the country when his car was hit by a bus after coming to an unexplained stop.

The couple were also travelling with their four-month-old daughter, who survived the accident but was said to be in a serious condition.

The Midi Libre newspaper reported Collins appeared to have stopped on the A9 between Montpellier and Beziers because of a problem with his car, ending up sideways on to oncoming traffic.

A bus from Portugal with around 20 passengers on board then crashed into their vehicle at speed, sending it crashing into the central reservation.

Collins and his wife died at the scene, while the two bus drivers had managed to get the child out of the car by the time paramedics arrived.

She was immediately taken to hospital in Montpellier.

The bus drivers and passengers have been taken to a nearby roadside services where they are being offered support and counselling.

A member of the team at the scene told the Midi Libre: "Two of them, including the driver, are particularly shocked by what happened.

"They may be taken to Beziers Hospital for further medical checks."

Collins, 34, who acted as stand-in All Blacks captain for Richie McCaw at the 2007 World Cup in France, had been playing for Racing Club Narbonne in the second tier of French club rugby.
(Sky News)