One of the most brutal acts of violence ever witnessed on a rugby field occurred recently in France’s Federal B during a local derby between Sarlat Rugby and Belves.
French derbies are notorious for being raucous spectacles, but this is on a whole new level. It happened near the end of the game, when the referee summoned both captains to the sidelines to speak with them after a scuffle arose. This, however, was only the beginning.
While speaking in the center of the pitch, the Belves captain fired an unprovoked punch at his opponent, knocking him down, before pouring down more punches while his opponent lay on the ground. After that, it’s understandable that a second brawl erupted.
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Former Ireland flanker Stephen Ferris commented on the video, saying: “6 months in jail for that.”
Here are some other comments:
“The ref doesn’t even flinch. Like this sort of thing is as common as a forward pass.”
“Never mind the season, he’ll never play rugby again. Or at least shouldn’t.”
“Prison time and banned from the game for life.”
“Lifetime ban & police action required.”
“Whenever I see these massive, out of control rugby brawls I always assume that it is in France and I am very rarely wrong. What is happening down there??”
“Criminal charges, life time ban. That’s bloody awful.”
“I hope the police are involved in this.”
