New footage shows what caused Owen Farrell brawl after England Rugby World Cup loss as fans fume at South Africa star
NEW footage revealed what sparked Owen Farrell’s angry brawl at the end of England’s Rugby World Cup defeat.
The Red Rose fell agonisingly short of booking their place in Saturday’s final.
They lost 16-15 to South Africa in Saturday’s semi-final in Paris, with sub fly-half Handre Pollard nailing a 78th-minute 49m penalty.
And England’s heartbreak was clear to see when the full-time whistle blew as the gutted players fell to their knees.
The TV cameras then cut to show skipper Farrell in a furious bust-up with Springboks star Willie Le Roux.
The pair squared up to each as tempers boiled over into a shoving match.
Team-mates pulled the two rowing players apart but Farrell was still seething, although he played down the incident as “nothing, just a misunderstanding”.
But now a new angle of the incident shows exactly why the Saracens ace was apoplectic.
An aerial shot of the Stade de France captures Le Roux running across the pitch as the match finished.
He then jumps right in front of a pair of dejected England players, celebrating in their faces and punching the air wildly.
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And as he goes on to continue his exuberant partying in front of more Red Rose men, Farrell takes exception and steps in, sparking the mass brawl before eventually things cool down and handshakes took place.
But fans seeing Le Roux’s behaviour for the first time slammed the replacement full-back for his lack of class and professionalism.
One said: “This footage of Willie Le Roux is classless. No gripes about the result. One of those things. But Le Roux’s behaviour was rank.”
Another wrote: “Willie Le Roux you helmet.”
A third added: “England shouldn’t have reacted, most Bok players were gracious as always… but p*** poor by Le Roux in all honesty.”
And a final user commented: “Argh I hate this s***. On the pitch, players go hard for 80 and give each other so much s***, but when the whistle blows – that should be that. Good game, move on.”
It was a frustrating night for Farrell, despite kicking all of England’s 15 points including a superb drop goal to put the 2003 champs 15-6 ahead.
The fly-half was penalised for his backchat, gifting South Africa the chance to score their first penalty of the match.
And then the gut-wrenching finale confirmed their dreams of lifting the Rugby World Cup for the second time were crushed in devastating fashion.