There was chaos in France last night as the Pro D2 semi final game between Pau and La Rochelle degenerated in what resembled a street fight in the last ten minutes. Three players were red carded within a few minutes, as Pau won 30-16.
The playoff was marred by incidents, despite them starting fairly late in the game. There were earlier scuffles, and there’s a bit of history between the two sides, but by the time the fights happened, Pau were already looking comfortable and on the way to victory.
Pau backs coach David Aucagne said: “It’s ugly. There was a dispute, but it is rugby, you must stay focused. I am not sure that was the case today. Daniel [Ramsay] has probably broken hand. They [La Rochelle] managed to get what they wanted. This is great,” he added sarcastically.
La Rochelle would no doubt disagree with his assesment of matters, but whatever the case, three players were red carded in about two minutes, and it wasn’t a great advert for rugby.
Referee Cedric Marchat sent off Johan Wessels and Marlon Solofuti first, then Jordan Seneca a few minutes later, but he probably could have picked from a number of culprits.
Eventually he had to go to the sideline, where things were also heated, to ask the coaches to speak to their players. Lots of finger pointing aside, things finally calmed down after that.
The Related Posts below the video feature 11 other mass brawls you probably won’t want to miss
View the try scoring highlights from the match
Time: 5:45
Credit: chuckyrmc
All the try scoring highlights from the Pau vs La Rochelle Pro D2 Semi Final
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