The Clermont Auvergne player lost the head.
Former Argentine international out half Benjamín Urdapilleta lost the head on Saturday night when he got involved in an altercation with La Rochelle head coach Ronan O’Gara.
Urdapilleta had eyes on the ball as it drifted high into touch during Clermont Auvergne and La Rochelle’s last Top 14 game before the World Cup break.
But as well as losing his bearings, he completely over-stepped the mark when, with the ball landing on top of O’Gara, he proceeded to aggressively push the Cork-man, who did very well not to react.
Urdapilleta was not carded for the incident, but may face retrospective action in the coming days.
This is a fixture that has had plenty of spice in the past and unfortunately for O’Gara, La Rochelle’s middling recent run continued as they suffered an 11-10 loss at Stade Marcel Michelin.
Simon Zebo shared the video saying “I wish shkin (Donncha Ryan) was pitch-side.”
I wish shkin was pitch side
Night night 🥊😴 https://t.co/fqFVhTYdMS— Simon Zebo (@SimonZebo) September 2, 2023
What will have stuck in the craw of the Cork-man is that that man Urdapilleta went onto kick the winning penalty with ten minutes to go.
The loss leaves the European Champions in seventh place in the Top 14 before the teams break for the World Cup.
There was some bad-blood coming into the fixture, with Clermont’s head coach Christophe Urios, then of Bordeaux, having clashed on the sideline last April. That offers no excuse for the Argentine’s antics however.
Related articles:
- “The better team lost” – Ronan O’Gara stung after Top 14 loss
- Josh van der Flier flourishing under added hype and expectation was one of the season’s best stories
- Brian O’Driscoll believes Paul O’Connell, not Ronan O’Gara, will coach Ireland next
- Ronan O’Gara coach’s box comments picked up by French journalist during La Rochelle win
