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The most brutal stomping on the rugby field

Rugby is a rough sport. That’s a given. However, despite the intense physicality, serious injuries are relatively uncommon. From time to time however, a truly grim injury surfaces as a result of stomping.

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We take a look at some of the worst and brutal stompings through the years.

During a regional game in Wales between Llandovery 2nds and Carmarthen Druids in 2016, international Wales Deaf player Ceri Davis found himself on the wrong side of a ruck in the dying minutes of the match.

It was only later, after the game that Davis realised there was something seriously wrong with his leg. Upon waking, Davis was greeted with the sight of something straight out of a horror movie.

Diagnosed as compartment syndrome, Davis found himself suffering from extreme swelling of the muscle groups in his leg, resulting in a build up of pressure in the affected area. With the pressure causing damage to the muscle and surrounding tissue, doctors had little choice but to relieve the pressure in the quickest way they knew how, by opening Davis’ leg, practically from the knee to the ankle.

Following the emergency surgery, under local anaesthetic, Davis had additional surgeries to close the gaping wounds on either side of his leg and needless to say, he was sidelined for quite some time.

Former Wales number eight Colin Charvis received one of the worst cases of raking during the 2001 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia.

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The most brutal stomping on the rugby field

Charvis fell on the wrong side of a ruck during a warm up fixture against the NSW Country Cockatoos at Coffs Harbour International Stadium when he was targeted by the hosts.

Forwards Angus Baldwin, Brent Dale and James McCormack viscously stamped all over Charvis as he lay helpless on the ground back in June 2001.

In that same year possibly the most violent and justified red card in the history of the sport came during the British and Irish Lions match with the New South Wales Waratahs in Sydney.

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That was the match where full back Duncan McRae unleashed himself on Ronan O’Gara, dealing almost a dozen punches to the head, causing significant damage to the Irish international’s face.

The most brutal stomping on the rugby field

Other brutal incidents include the crazed Bourgoin team against Northampton in 2009 where two of their players were given their marching orders in what proved to be an incredibly edgy and violent European Challenge Cup match at Franklins Gardens.

In 2012, now retired French scrum-half Valentin Courrent suffered this nasty-looking injury at the hands (or boot) of his own team-mate as he scored a try.

Courrent’s face was sliced from the lip up by Grenoble team-mate Anthony Hegarty’s stray boot.

The most brutal stomping on the rugby field

Cai Griffiths posted a video on social media in 2014 of an horrific head injury picked up in their 25-18 London & SE Division Herts/Middlesex One victory over west London side University College School Old Boys. The gash on his forehead looked bad enough as it was.

But when Griffiths, whose career took in two spells with the Liberty Stadium region as well as a season with London Irish, played about with the cut it looked even more horrific and not one to be viewed by the squeamish.

The most brutal stomping on the rugby field

French international Alexandre Dumoulin was forced off the field in 2016 after 10 minutes of Racing 92’s famous European win over Toulon in 2016 after severing the tip of his nose when he came into contact with a stray stud in a tackle.

Dumoulin took to his Instagram account to post a picture of the grim injury, which looks so serious that he could be left with a permanent scar. Soon after the match though he was stitched up and seemingly in good spirits.

The most brutal stomping on the rugby field

In 2018 the son of Wales forwards boss Robin McBryde posted on Twitter, the gash on his knee picked up on the weekend in RGC 1404’s Principality Premiership win over Bargoed in Colwyn Bay.

In 2019 former Wales hooker Richard Hibbard posted a grim picture of the facial injury he suffered at the hands of Clermont. Hibbard disappeared down the tunnel in the 24th minute of the 49-7 home defeat, immediately after Remy Grosso crossed for the visitors’ bonus point try with just over a quarter of the match gone.

The most brutal stomping on the rugby field

The 35-year-old, who is no stranger to battle scars and broken noses, suffered a severe cut to his lip during a heavy collision, which was patched up by medics before he returned to the Rodney Parade pitch 10 minutes later.

 

 

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