VIDEO: The punch-up that caused B&I Lions captain to have a black eye
WATCH the footage that emerged of the now infamous training ground punch-up between two Welsh players – British and Irish Lions captain Alun Wyn Jones and fellow second row Jake Ball.
Back in February, Jones sported a black eye in the lead-up to the game with Ireland, a sight that the talk of rugby media and fans alike, leaving many wondering as to the exact nature of the incident.
Now grainy footage of the incident has emerged online, showing a flurry of heavy-handed punches from both players being thrown.
Jones can be seen grabbing Ball by the collar and – after words are exchanged – Ball appears to throw a half-hearted right hand.
While Jones appears to throw the best initial blows, Ball lands the more significant shots as the scrap comes to an end.
Andy Goode posted a video on his Twitter, writing: “Footage from the training ground ding dong between Alun-Wyn Jones and Jake Ball has emerged from the archives! Couple of big lads throwing handbags!”
While training ground scraps are hardly uncommon in the sport, the sight of such a high-profile player with a shiner in the lead-up to a big game had tongue wagging.
In an interview with TheXV.rugby Ball explained that it was actually a case of mistaken identity.
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Footage from the training ground ding dong between Alun-Wyn Jones and Jake Ball has emerged from the archives! Couple of big lads throwing handbags!! #neverpunchtheskipper pic.twitter.com/JiJUnO1NtR
— Andy Goode (@AndyGoode10) June 4, 2021
“It’s one of those things, isn’t it? The biggest irony was that it was a case of mistaken identity at training.
“Al thought it was me who had pulled down a maul, it was actually Rhys Carré who instigated the whole situation.
“However, he melted into the background.
“He [Jones] threw a couple of punches and I threw a couple back. Luckily for me, a few more of mine landed. That’s rugby. Al and I spoke about it and we’ve moved on.”
After it was downplayed to the media, the ferocity of the incident might well surprise viewers.
By Ian Cameron, RugbyPass
