‘Sickening behaviour’ – Gargantuan lock threatens to PUNCH Munster fan who interferes in Champions Cup brawl

Colin Newboult
Scuffle between Munster and Bayonne in the Champions Cup.

Scuffle between Munster and Bayonne in the Champions Cup.

Munster have been urged to ban a supporter who got involved in a scuffle during their Champions Cup tie with Bayonne at the weekend.

A disagreement broke out in the 44th minute of their clash on Saturday with the Irish province leading 14-3.

There was a bit of pushing and shoving as the players moved towards the sideline where the supporters were.

However, one fan decided to get involved and pull the shirt of powerhouse Bayonne lock Konstantin Mikautadze, who unsurprisingly took exception to the antics.

Don’t mess with Mikautadze

The Georgian is very much in the old school mould and is someone not to be messed with. After the spectator’s action, Mikautadze turned around and appeared to begin the action of flinging his right fist in that direction.

Fortunately, the second-row stopped himself from going through with it and Munster’s Thomas Ahern stepped in between them to de-escalate the situation.

You could very much understand the lock’s frustration, and it is not a place for a fan to become embroiled in such matters.

Mikautadze did well to not lash out and he went on to channel that pent-up frustration in the right way, helping Bayonne to stage an impressive comeback.

The French outfit reduced the arrears to 14-10 a few minutes later before Mikautadze was replaced by Arthur Iturria. Although Jack Crowley’s penalty extended Munster’s buffer, a converted Remy Baget try sealed a historic draw for the Champions Cup debutants.

Social media reaction

There was plenty of discussion online over the second-half scuffle, with almost all of them slamming the Munster supporter for getting involved.

“That supporter should be looking at a lengthy ban. Imagine if the French lock had smacked him. He’d have been fully justified after what happened to Monica Seles,” one person wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Another observer even went as far to say that there should be significant repercussions for the province after this incident.

“Munster should be made to play their next game behind closed doors. Can’t have the crowd grappling with players. And ban that dullard for a season or two,” they wrote.

One person simply added: “That’s sickening behaviour from the Munster supporter,” before someone responded below, stating: “And really surprising. Anyone who travelled once to Limerick know how nice and welcoming Munster fans are. (and so are Irish fans in general)”.

READ MORE: French Champions Cup debutants seal an epic result against Irish giants Munster

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