Tensions have boiled over at Super Rugby Pacific training for the second time this season, with the Crusaders the latest club forced to separate players midway through a session.
Crusaders forwards Kershawl Sykes-Martin and Will Tucker were reportedly pulled off each other on Tuesday in Christchurch, and while it is unclear whether punches were thrown, stuff.co.nz described the altercation as a “feisty dust-up“.
Earlier this year Waratahs lock Miles Amatosero was handed a four-game ban, two of which were suspended, after he unloaded a flurry of punches on teammate Angus Scott-Young during a training session in Sydney.
Scott-Young suffered a fractured eye socket as a result and is still to debut for the Waratahs through the first four rounds of the regular season.
It appears the Crusaders incident will not require an investigation, as occurred at the Waratahs, while coach Rob Penney later said it was “lovely to see”.
The Crusaders, the defending champions, are 1-3 so far this season, with their defeat by the Blues in Auckland proving particularly disappointing as it came after a stunning win over the Chiefs in Hamilton a week earlier.
“It was a really lovely sight to see, actually. It is a reflection of how much it means. The boys aren’t happy with the performances and the outcomes,” Penney said when asked about the altercation later on Tuesday.
“Very proud young men are going to come up against each other and create a bit of sandpaper from time to time.
“But it’s not a thing that is going to affect negatively. We are all over it, the boys are fine.”
The Crusaders have played three of their first four games on the road but welcome the Highlanders to Christchurch this weekend.
Star fullback Will Jordan is expected to return for Saturday’s clash with their south island rivals, while Penney will be hoping his side can remedy a whopping 18 turnovers from last week’s defeat at Eden Park.
