Rugby’s bad boys

The bans imposed last weekend on South Africans Robbie Kempson and Bakkies Botha for, respectively, a late cheap shot on Toutai Kefu and “deliberately attacking the face” of Aussie hooker Brendan Cannon, has highlighted once more the basic fact that rugby probably has more ‘bad boys’ than most sports. Declan Colley looks back at some of the sport’s anti-heroes.

WICKUS VAN HEERDEN

Coastal Sharks rugby forward van Heerden's career effectively ended in disgrace in April 1998 when an Australian judicial hearing suspended the 32-year-old from rugby for 18 months. This was after he pleaded guilty to biting New South Wales prop Richard Harry in a Super 12 match in Sydney.

Van Heerden's punishment was the second severest ever meted out in rugby history. He protested his innocence shortly after the Sharks' 51-18 hammering at the Sydney Football Stadium, but changed his plea to guilty, probably after video evidence clearly caught him in the act.

The video evidence seen by the hearing showed Harry illegally holding on to Van Heerden's arm in a scrum in the 30th minute of the match. In retaliation, Van Heerden's head went down on to Harry's forearm and moved around before Harry recoiled angrily. The Wallaby prop immediately showed New Zealand referee Paddy O'Brien the welt on his arm and O'Brien confirmed after the match that he had "clearly seen a bite mark".

After a repeat showing of the mark for the media in the NSW dressing room, Harry, who happens to be the son of ARU president Phil Harry, said: "I've never been bitten before. I wonder what I taste like."

JOHAN LE ROUX

Another Springbok whose career ended in disgrace, le Roux's received a 19-month sentence for biting the ear of All Black prop Sean Fitzpatrick in a Test match in 1994. He made his debut for South Africa against England in June 1994 and his third cap came against New Zealand only a month later. It was his last. He was caught foolishly it has to be said given the stature of his victim biting Fitzpatrick ear and summarily dismissed. He never played at the top level again.

KEVIN YATES

England front row Yates was suspended for six months in February 1998 for biting the ear of Australian Simon Fenn in an English club match between Bath and London Scottish. Bath were initially reluctant to identify the culprit, especially as he was regarded as being a live candidate to hold down an England place for some time. The incident effectively ended his international career.

NEIL BACK

It was probably the single most outrageous act of cheating seen in the Northern Hemisphere in recent times when in the dying moments of the 2002 Heineken Cup Final, Leicester flanker Neil Back slapped the ball from Munster scrum-half Peter Stringer's hands with Munster just yards from the Leicester line and a match-winning score likely. The Observer's Eddie Butler reported at the time: "It went like this. In the last moments Munster were trailing 9-15. Only a converted try would be enough. They had wrecked their chances with line-outs that had gone wonky near the Leicester line, but now they had a scrum in midfield. The perfect position with options on either side.

"As Peter Stringer prepared to feed the scrum, Back knocked the ball out of his hands and into the Leicester side. A heel against the head; almost unheard of. Stringer complained, but not one of the officials had seen the incident. On such small matters, games turn; finals are won and lost. It was not Back's finest moment. The referee, Joel Jutge, missed the incident. Leicester had won a semi-final with a penalty awarded contentiously in the last moments against Llanelli. Here they cheated to take the pressure off themselves."

PIETER VAN ZYL

The portly South African supporter assaulted David McHugh, the Irish referee, during the 2002 Tri-Nations match between South Africa and New Zealand at King's Park.

The beefy Potchefstroom businessman's tackle looked innocuous, but McHugh's shoulder was dislocated as stunned players tried frantically to separate the pair. By the time Van Zyl appeared in front of local magistrates, he was charged was common assault. He pleaded guilty and was so found.

"The public support I have received was overwhelming. I didn't expect it and it was heartening, " he said after he was fined 10,000 Rand or face a 30-day jail term.

DUNCAN MCRAE

New South Wales against the Lions at the Sydney Football Stadium, Saturday June 23, 2001 will always be remembered for McRae's savage and unprovoked attack on Ronan O'Gara. The Guardian reported at the time: "All the playful banter turned sour last night. All the mischief to do with recalling the brutality of 1989 and all the jibes about these current Lions cheating at the ruck and line-out and scrum carried a price heavier than just the bruises of Pom-bashing. A fuse had been lit in jest and last night it seriously exploded. A game of structured, restorative efficiency descended into a rugby hell-hole.

"The Lions were heading towards victory over New South Wales, and were thereby reshaping their plans and their confidence after the mishap in midweek against Australia A, when they found themselves in a whirlwind of violence. Ronan O'Gara was pinned down and struck 11 times in the face by Duncan McRae, who became the first player ever to be sent off against the tourists.

"McRae claimed he had been hit by a swirling arm presumably that of O'Gara at the clear-out after a tackle but his reaction was excessive, to say the least."

SOUTH AFRICA'S TEST SIDE 1974

So concerned were Willie John McBride's Lions about having the crap beaten out of them by their hosts, the touring party, to a man, agreed that it was going to be a case of 'one for all and all for one' should any individual be targeted for undue attention.

They agreed that on a pre-ordained call "99" they would all leap to the defence of whoever was being thrashed. Their solidarity worked and their refusal to be intimidated led them to becoming the first Lions side ever to win a test series in South Africa.