Fri 29 May 2015 | 10:50
Yoann Huget's horrific looking face stamp against Bordeaux Begles

45
Comments

Yoann Huget could find himself in trouble after footage emerged of what appears to be the Toulouse winger stamping on Bordeaux Begles lock Jan Andre Marais' head/face.

The incident occurred 18 minutes into Saturday's Top 14 clash between the two sides.

Huget appears to lash out with his foot at Marais but it is unclear whether it was intentional or not, with the fullback checking on the lock and genuinely showing some concern for the player.

The commentators did not react and neither do players from either team, but it does happen just to the edge of camera shot. No replays were shown, and as yet there has been no sign of a citing or further repercussions, so one can only assume it was viewed as purely accidental.

Toulouse prop Census Johnston received a straight red card in the first half of the game for punching Metuisela Talebula. View the punches here
 
The Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR) ban guidelines state that a low offence can carry a ban of two weeks, while a high end offence can carry a ban of nine. The maximum offence that can be given - but only in extremely rare, severe circumstances – is 52 weeks.

Huget went on to score the momentum-changing try, with Toulouse running in eventual 23-22 winners after finding themselves 15-9 down with 20 minutes left to play.

credit: rugbyA1

credit: boucherie ovalie

45 Comments

  • colombes
    3:26 PM 02/06/2015

    i also never tried the fake apology. It would be a shame if it was huget goal..
    but like said before, we're just commentators, not commisioners.
    and also a bit surprised to discover this footage on RD when Canal+ or the LFP not even mentionned it.

  • drg
    4:01 PM 01/06/2015

    Patting players on the back and helping them to their feet after the whistle maybe? Maybe he's a demon between stoppages?

    Maybe like others have said, the stamp was 100% intentional but the stamp to the face was not :/

  • flanker2712
    2:23 PM 01/06/2015

    I'm with Katman, Stroudos and the others who are 100% convinced this was intentional.

    I do think that the apology, while more self-serving than anything else, might be driven by some remorse. He may have shocked himself with the brutality of what he did in the split-second of the stamp.

    Huget is a strange one. In quite a few games, I have seen him do a few "niggly" (dirty is probably too strong) things, really trying to provoke a scrap, and then a few moments later he is patting opposition players on the back, helping them to their feet etc. Not that this in itself is anything strange, but when you put it together with the recent incidents, I really can't work him out.

  • katman
    7:28 PM 31/05/2015

    This was 100% intentional, and brutal. And what makes it even more disgusting was the pretend "trip" and the premeditated apology that immediately followed to give it some kind of believability. This is one of the worst stamps I've ever seen. Can't believe there are so many here falling for the accidental thing.

  • stroudos
    3:55 PM 31/05/2015

    krip: You also realize that the Bordeaux player was holding his foot and he stumbled?

    Holding his foot my arse. And he stumbled after stamping on the bloke's face.

  • stroudos
    3:49 PM 31/05/2015

    I felt that Huget and Brown both acted very immature in that little argument.

  • drg
    2:17 PM 31/05/2015

    Like I said, I hope this entire incident was accidental.

    As for the Brown incident, it was still a 'headbutt' technically speaking, regardless of who started it...

    As for the simulation, it's not relevant relevant, however it shows his character, or what he can do.

    I hate it when players are held, but Bismarc du Plessis (was it?) played that card recently and it didn't wash with me then and being held doesn't cut it now! Sure step on his fingers, rake your boots on his hand... But stamp on his face?!? No, I don't think so..

    As for me, read my original comment, I think the bloke is world class, I just think it's a shame that he is tarnishing his own reputation. If this was truly accidental (which I hope it was, then it's unfortunate for him to have it against his name). If you all want to say that you feel Huget has not damaged his own reputation then that is fine and that is your opinion which you're entitled to have...

  • drg
    12:31 PM 31/05/2015

    Yes, decent player, it's the opposite of a 'not very decent player'... it's code word alternative for me saying how I want to caress his curly locks...

    One simulation incident very recently and now this...

    One more incident this year and you'll have your string.

    Perhaps we have different standards, but I'd hold Huget in much higher regard if during that incident of 'simulation', instead of going down like a footballer he'd swung a punch and got himself sent off... in fact, if he'd done that, I don't think I'd have even remembered the incident.

    Oh actually, here is your third:

    The 'headbutt' on Mike Brown - http://www.rugbydump.com/2014/02/3582/friday-funnies-nigel-owens-tells-off-mike-brown-and-yoann-huget

    Don't get me wrong, it's a nothing headbutt, but looking at the way the rugby world is going, (Dylan Hartley), it should have been a red card...

  • oliver
    10:30 AM 31/05/2015

    decent player? you have VERY high standards. He's definitely in the top 10 wingers worldwide in my opinion.

    I'd also like to point out there was ONE simulation incident. that's it. you make it sound like there was a whole string of incidents.

  • drg
    9:15 PM 30/05/2015

    I'm actually shocked. When you look past Hugets ridiculous behaviour in the last few years, you can actually see what is a decent player!

    Sadly, his idiocy has crept in and taken over. I think it's a shame that a player of his calibre can behave like this.

    Lets hope for rugby's sake that this was purely accidental, because frankly, someone doing this intentionally horrifies me.

  • dancarter
    1:44 PM 30/05/2015

    I heard you the first time! I only saw your comment further down pointing this out after I had posted this. I think you're right.

  • browner
    12:45 PM 30/05/2015

    I struggle to imagine that the player or his club wouldn't have raised this subject with the Match Observer post match.

    IF they did (??) then the only conceivable reason that he has avoided a citing can be that FFR would be without him for the RWC and someone recognises this and can exert political influence.

    I cant ever imagine French rugby is capable of such self interest.

    If he gets cited, I expect him to employ Horwills genius Lawyer, replay his legendary 'unbalanced'
    Mitigation claim.

  • danknapp
    5:47 AM 30/05/2015

    That's true, but we like to get all the mileage we can out of opinion here.

  • danknapp
    5:44 AM 30/05/2015

    Smarter than Dylan Hartley is not high praise. My Springer Spaniel is smarter than Dylan Hartley.

  • marty
    3:07 AM 30/05/2015

    I just cannot believe that a professional player, fully aware that the're cameras all over the place, a citing comitee and hords of rugby fans around the world watching, would deliberatly give such a massive taste of his cleats to an opponent. I mean, it's such a HUGE stamp! If it is intentional indeed, Yoan Huget is mad. Just like Dylan Hartley.

  • 12:18 AM 30/05/2015

    On first viewing I thought this was a complete accident, but having viewed it about 20 times further I am convinced this was intentional. We've all been in the position where someone is holding you down out of the game (in this case even thats questionable) and youve blindly thrown a 'heavy hand' in their general direction, but there is so much force in that stamp that he really meant it - probably not the the face though!! Then classic schoolboy mentality afterwards.... 'oops, lets show Im sorry'...

  • stroudos
    10:58 PM 29/05/2015

    Pause at 5 seconds, he looks directly at the guy's face and lines him up.

  • stroudos
    10:58 PM 29/05/2015

    Pause at 5 seconds, he looks directly at the guy's face and lines him up.

  • flanker2712
    8:16 PM 29/05/2015

    Yep.

  • flanker2712
    8:14 PM 29/05/2015

    I may well be mistaken (and forgive me if so), but you probably haven't played in games with multiple cameras, some of which are bound to pick up the cynical act.

  • dancarter
    7:03 PM 29/05/2015

    Matt Stevens, is that you?

  • dancarter
    7:02 PM 29/05/2015

    The only thing I can think of is that he's stamping his foot down trying to get away from the player who has hold of him. It doesn't look as if he is looking down at the player when he does it. I don't know, only Huget knows for certain whether he meant it or not.

  • eddie-g
    6:44 PM 29/05/2015

    I'll confess I've never done the fake apology act. When I did something cynical, I tried make sure I did nothing to draw attention to it.

    But I also never stamped on a bloke's face, maybe it's different then.

  • galwegian
    6:41 PM 29/05/2015

    Looks down, stamps hard onto unprotected face, then stumbles, then shows concern.

    12 week ban at a minimum.

  • eddie-g
    6:34 PM 29/05/2015

    The show of concern could have been that he meant to stamp on him, but not his face. That's the best I can offer, but I'm not even sure about that.

  • stroudos
    6:05 PM 29/05/2015

    I don't like him either. He looks like Robert Pires's evil twin.

  • stroudos
    6:04 PM 29/05/2015

    Probably because he was busy checking he could still see.

    He's also in the worst position to be able to tell whether it was accidental or not - all he knows about it is a boot descending into his face.

    He's also a South African lock, which is lucky as Huget's studs probably bounced off his face.

  • tphillipsstl
    5:03 PM 29/05/2015

    that's what I thought, he didn't see exactly where he was stamping, but was doing so intentionally. When he realized it was the face...oops! Then the reaction. That downward force is too much to be accidental.

  • jimmy23
    4:30 PM 29/05/2015

    Huget is a drama queen, lost so much respect for him after his little "I've been shot by a sniper in the face" act against Bath.

  • jmehrtens
    4:28 PM 29/05/2015

    I assume you feel that way about a lot of statements you disagree with?

  • eddie-g
    3:39 PM 29/05/2015

    That looks bad. I know sometimes as a player you kick out a bit to get your legs free if you are being held in that type of situation, but that looks every bit a stamp, not sure what else you could say he was trying to do.

    That said, if he hasn't been cited, could he still find himself in trouble? I thought the citing guys had 48 hours to make a report, but maybe that's another rule that's been changed recently.

  • stroudos
    3:36 PM 29/05/2015

    At the 5 second mark he looks at where the guys head is and makes sure to stamp on it.

    EXACTLY!!

    Don't get how anyone can watch this and not think it's deliberate!

  • stroudos
    3:25 PM 29/05/2015

    Colombes: Huget must be very cynic to do such thing

    Yep. Very cynical indeed. A cheating prick would be another way of putting it.

    Why did he excuse himself? Oliver's absolutely right - because he's not stupid. We've all done the quick apology act haven't we, (without the stamp of course)? Lazy running and bumping a player, marginally late tackles, that sort of thing. Another example is a prop twatting the flanker at a scrum and pretending he's just trying to get a bind. He may say sorry, but everyone knows he meant to do it.

    As Huget demonstrated against Bath, he's a bloody good actor. He's excelled himself here though - for none of the officials or a citing commissioner to do anything about it and to my incredulity all the people on here claiming his innocence, you have to say it's very impressive subterfuge!

  • tetley003
    3:10 PM 29/05/2015

    It looks intentional to me. He falls forward because he is leaning forward and he puts his left foot behind him into the player's face.

    If you look at his body position he should have been planting that leading foot in front.

  • pbc1620
    2:32 PM 29/05/2015

    Disagree... Definitely looks intentional but friggin love this comment

  • 2:08 PM 29/05/2015

    *Right leg not left leg

  • 2:07 PM 29/05/2015

    That was actually impressively intentional. At the 5 second mark he looks at where the guys head is and makes sure to stamp on it. Realising what he's done he throw's his left leg out very theatrically to make it look he was being held even though you can clearly see he's not held at all. Then does the whole "oh are you OK I'm so sorry bro didn't see your massive head" thing, see's they've got the penalty and decides he's done his daily act of compassion and waddles back to his team.

  • colombes
    1:48 PM 29/05/2015

    if intentional, why did he excuse himself..?
    Huget must be very cynic to do such thing.
    He behaved badly vs bath, but this, i don't think so

  • s_conner
    1:39 PM 29/05/2015

    If you think that's accidental you're smoking too much crack.

  • jmehrtens
    1:37 PM 29/05/2015

    funny I think exactly the opposite.
    don't like him but think it is accidental.

  • jmehrtens
    1:33 PM 29/05/2015

    Not a big fan of Huget especially after his dive against Bath. And for that he should have been punished a lot heavier than he was. but not for this, this seems accidental, it looks like his foot was held and he tried to get loose, and accidently stamped on his opponent afterwards.

  • guy
    1:26 PM 29/05/2015

    I don't like this bloke, I don't trust him at all and I have the distinct feeling he did in on purpose since he was looking down when he decided where to put his foot. He seems to apply extra force too and he knows instantly what he has done and decides to look concerned. Quite strange that this went unnoticed by the citing officer.

  • oliver
    1:26 PM 29/05/2015

    looks quite intentional to me........and I hope I'm wrong cause I usually really like Huget.

  • colombes
    1:23 PM 29/05/2015

    Ouch, dangerous stuff :/
    By his reaction, it seemed an accidental stumble
    But let's listen the rugby law 'professionals' who will reclaim jail and decapitation

  • welshosprey
    1:00 PM 29/05/2015

    Damn his foot came down with some force but maybe he stumbled? At least he seemed concerned.