Rugby videos of tackles, tries, funny incidents and more: Final whistle fight after dramatic win by the Welsh under 20's

Saturday, June 14, 2008

Final whistle fight after dramatic win by the Welsh under 20's

In the IRB Junior World Championships in Swansea, Wales, on saturday, the host nation scored a dramatic injury time try to break French hearts and put themselves through to the Semi Finals, but the victory was marred by a mass brawl after the final whistle.

France had led 19-9 before Wales delighted the crowd with a rousing fightback.

First came a penalty try awarded by Australian referee James Leckie as Wales piled pressure on the French defence, then late into injury time, an unusual six minutes over normal time, the young Welshmen swung the ball wide where players queued up to score with Leigh Halfpenny touching down for the most remarkable on endings to a game.

The final whistle blew and Wales rejoiced, but what was to follow was an unsightly scrap that I can only think was sparked by the frustrations with the ref. One thing more bizarre than the long period of added time, was the manner in which the Welsh captain was pulled away from the interview by an IRB official mid sentence. Possibly to prevent the likelihood of further altercations.

NOTE: We have the long version of the video up again.

Time: 05:00

Geez kids have far too much testosterone that even after a match they want to continue slugging it out. I was watching this live on S4C in disbelief, firstly for the ref playing about 6 mins of extra time which gave Wales enough time to win it and then the mass brawl at the end.

Apparantly it started off by a Welsh player going to shake the hand of one of the French, and he (the frog) decided to stick the head on him instead.

Shocking, and well done to RD for getting this up so quickly

By Anonymous, at June 14, 2008 11:21 pm
Bloody hell, well done wales but WTF? I would have liked to have seen the try and ending.

6 mins into extra time is pretty long, only ever seen that 1 or 2 times before, why on earth did the ref not blow? Did the ball ever die?

By Anonymous, at June 14, 2008 11:24 pm
wouldn't want to be in the middle of them lot :P

By Anonymous, at June 14, 2008 11:29 pm
the try was good and you could tell it was coming. After Wales got the penalty try (and it looked to be 1 or 2 mins left on the clock) the goalkicker for the conversion ran back to his team mates showing 5 fingers and mouthing 5 as if to say the ref said 5 mins left.
When wales got into the 22 and close to the try line, France kept slowing down and penalising which probably played into the refs mind and kept going until Wales got fair advantage.
France were also a man down (YC) when the penalty try was awarded.

By Anonymous, at June 14, 2008 11:35 pm
The French...Starting a fight during/after a rugby match...? Who ever would've thought it?!

By Anonymous, at June 15, 2008 1:09 am
Wow That Was Very Interseting Footage Lol
I Love The Way The Captain Is Pulled Away At The End

P.s Did Neone Else Notice The How The Woman Seemed 2 Have No Accent At All After Starting to Speak In English Lol

By Anonymous, at June 15, 2008 2:23 am
The ref was really not fair during this match, especially at the end.

It was outrageous.

Poor French...
(I'm Scot')

By Anonymous, at June 15, 2008 3:12 am
Hey, I'm john

By Anonymous, at June 15, 2008 1:10 pm
Ouch Sore Losers, kiddin what started the fight???

By Anonymous, at June 15, 2008 7:32 pm
This is what truly annoys me about rugby. When it gets to 80 minutes, the attacking team just attacks and attacks whilst' the defending team sits back, afraid to give away penalties.

I don't think referees should have the independence to 'choose' how long they play additional time for. Sometimes its just added to appease the home side to ensure a victory. 6 minutes is absurd for a half. Did someone break their leg or something?

As for the fight, I would be pissed off if the ref played 6 minutes added time.

By Anonymous, at June 15, 2008 11:23 pm
Erm... The law states that you play until the ball goes dead, whether that be 6secs, 6mins or 26mins. You can't possibly complain about referees making the decision.

By Anonymous, at June 16, 2008 12:11 am
Anyone else getting fed up with seeing French fighting at rugby matches? It just seems to be getting more and more frequent...

By Anonymous, at June 16, 2008 12:16 am
this is whats wrong with french rugby!!!! u see it all the time in the domestic leagues over there! giving the sport a bad name! its a hard sport which has to be played hard and dont get me wrong i love to see people put their bodies on the line for the cause but the french take it to far!!

sore losers...........typically french!!!!

By Anonymous, at June 16, 2008 12:46 am
Anonymous people complaining about something typically french...is also typically french...

For all the "sore loser" bunch...I am wondering if there is any situation where you would agree that a french team has been unfairly treated. I'm not endorsing the fighting. I'm just saying.

Well, good luck against the ABs Wales.

By Anonymous, at June 16, 2008 3:11 am
referees do not have the indepedence to choose how long they wanna play extra time for. once the buzzer sounds.. at the next break down... the game ends.. isnt that what happens all the time.

By Anonymous, at June 16, 2008 4:22 am
VIDEO NOT AVAILABLE!!!!
i would really like to see it (since i play in Und20)....i fyou can post it again pleeeease!!!

thankXD

By Anonymous, at June 16, 2008 11:32 am
I was at the game, and the ref was poor for most of it, bias to the french in most cases, but the added time at the end was unjust IMO. There were a few (2-3) penalties in this time which we were allowed to kick into touch, weren't like to ball was active for 6min.

Anyways glad for the win in the end especially due to the french reaction to it!!! HaHa, don't know if its the kid in me but i love a good old punch-up. seeing the coaches involved too

By Anonymous, at June 16, 2008 12:49 pm
italian scrummy... you can watch the video on bbc sport website: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/welsh/7455375.stm

By Anonymous, at June 16, 2008 1:47 pm
2 points I will make, firstly I was at the game and sitting in the directors area on the half way line directly above where the fight broke out and had a clear unobstructed view of what happened. After the whistle the Welsh scum half walked toward a French player with his had held out to shake as they closed on each other the French player head butts the Welsh boy and all hell breaks lose, would you not come to the aid of your own player having seen that? Coaches, players, medics and officials all involved, (although some were trying to calm the situation down) a couple of Italian players who were watching the match also decided to get involved and a number of French squad players who were not involved in the match started a fight in the lower stand with some of the Welsh parents. After things calmed down the French side were quickly removed from the ground and sent back to the hotel, the Welsh players who were supposed to be sharing the same hotel in the Marina, were held back in the stadium and sent home instead of going to the hotel.

Secondly, with regard to the added on time, at 78 mins on the stadium clock the ref told the Welsh team there were 5 mins remaining. Which means actual injury time was 3 mins. However, by law, you can't blow for no side until the ball goes dead. If a team receives a penalty the ball is not dead. After the scheduled injury time, stadium clock on 83 mins the Welsh side did not make the ball dead and went through a number of phases on the the French line trying to score. In total around 7 phases of play occurred after the clock passed the 83min, at no time was the ball dead until the try was scored, so the last 3 to 4 mins of play after the offical injury time had expired was down to Welsh teams excellent ability to keep the ball and not make any handling errors, the try was well worked and just deserve for the effort put in by the boys in the final 10-15 mins of the match. Then ref was correct in his handling of game time and a team could conceivably continue playing for as long as they want after injury time has elapsed as long as they don't make the ball dead.

Well done Wales and good luck against the All Blacks......

By Anonymous, at June 16, 2008 2:17 pm
That was shit defense by France for that try any way

By Anonymous, at June 16, 2008 4:43 pm
i hardly call that a fight, it's teenagers grabbing each others' shirts then not knowing what to do next. the french kids clearly need to get some more game time in D2 to learn how to do it properly! as for the welsh, well it's a typical evening out on the town - stretch last orders as far as possible then try to start a brawl!

By Anonymous, at June 16, 2008 7:06 pm
Beautiful comment from that last anonymous :)
(please don't be anonymous, I don't care who you are, you're just easier to quote)

There wasn't more than 3 or 4 punches, when dallaglio does that, the english call it a strategie... so thanks to all the anti french comments

It is definitely stupid, but don't take it on 2 kids that were just beaten after 6 min injury time.

And seriously, ring a bell after 80 min, the ref won't take it too far, that was an improvement.

By Unknown, at June 16, 2008 8:16 pm
Instead of fighting with the welsh, the french should have destroyed that fukin corrupt referee! What a shame! I can't believe that he's done that, the corruption is just OBVIOUS : this game was in Wales, he gives a penalty try, and plus he gives 6 extra-minutes to the welsh to allow them to score a try!! This referee has no honour, definitely, this bastard will burn in hell!

By Anonymous, at June 16, 2008 9:20 pm
"Typicaly french", "poor frenchs"...you're all racist of France

By Anonymous, at June 17, 2008 1:14 am
They robbed the game man, 86th minute??? Reminds me 1999 when the referee gave 6 or more minutes in the game between Argentina and Ireland

By Anonymous, at June 17, 2008 1:42 am
Thats poor poor referreing, france got robbed. wales seem to be winning everything nowdays in the northen hemisphere, its getting boring!

By Anonymous, at June 17, 2008 11:35 am
Obviously the French were robbed. 6 minutes injury time ? how much did he got paid for that one,the ref, huh ? Not to mention the penalty try ! This "victory" is a shame. The French deserved to win, and I hope some of the welsh got hurt in that brawl. I am so pissed off right now

By Anonymous, at June 17, 2008 3:28 pm
Recent analysis of the video has shown a Welsh player shaking hands and sort of giving a "man hug" to a French player, the Frenchman then pushes the Welsh player and swings for him which starts everything off.

Other than that moment and the following brawl it was a great day for young Welsh rugby. Well done Wales...Cymru Am Byth!!

By Anonymous, at June 17, 2008 4:34 pm
"Typicaly french", "poor frenchs"...you're all racist of France By Anonymous, maybe some of us would listen to you if you got a NAME

By Anonymous, at June 17, 2008 5:29 pm
don't worry...the welsh will be annihilated by new zealand

just look what they did to ireland and argentina

By Anonymous, at June 17, 2008 6:59 pm
It's a shame in XXIst century to see referees like that. Wales is playing at home and scores at the 86'... What a miracle!

The sanctions of IRB are even more "hilarious": one welsh player has 3 weeks of suspension during his holidays, while 3 french players will miss 2 months of holidays (suspension starting only august 9th)???

Actually I think IRB is bringing itself in disrepute.

By Anonymous, at June 18, 2008 8:53 am
Sounds like its the french throwing their toys out of the pram again. I mean, why would the Welsh start owt after they've won? Sounds like the ref was pretty fair and the timekeeping was accurate, so it was just a case of sour grapes.

By Anonymous, at June 18, 2008 4:32 pm
From where I sit, watching Setanta Broadband in the US, it seems to me that the referee was a huge factor in the Welsh victory. The referee was patently unfair and biased. The two yellow cards to the French forwards were highly debatable. The yellow card to the Welsh player for an obvious very late tackle was undeniable... The series of penalties for the Welsh in the last 8 minutes were incomprehensible. And I have my doubts about the penalty try. The French side was robbed... And I am not French. A sad day in rugby land.

By Anonymous, at June 18, 2008 6:09 pm
the french were robed...dnt blame them 4 fighting

By Anonymous, at August 19, 2008 10:30 pm
Ye maybe the french were robbed. Like the welsh were against italy a couple of years ago in the six nations when the ref said we had time for a lineout and then blew up once we'd kicked it to touch. And like the welsh were in the 70's against new zealand when a kiwi second row dived out of the lineout pretending he'd been pushed which resulted in them gaining a penalty out of cheating and winning the game from it.
I don't remember us fighting in those games though, so yes i think we can blame the french for this one.

By Anonymous, at September 08, 2008 12:42 pm
why does it seem that the majority of the time i see a video with the word "brawl" or "fight" on here, it involves a french team/player/league?

By Anonymous, at September 09, 2008 1:26 am
good right hand by the welsh 16 haha frenchy got owned

By Anonymous, at February 28, 2009 4:06 am
leave it to the french...

By kevinb, at June 29, 2009 10:01 pm
nice article. I would love to follow you on twitter. By the way, did anyone hear that some chinese hacker had busted twitter yesterday again.

By Anonymous, at February 08, 2010 7:30 pm