23 Jul 2018

Samoan sevens player suspended for alleged altercation

11:56 am on 23 July 2018

Wales' Tom Williams missed the Rugby World Cup Sevens final day through injury after an altercation with a Samoan player.

Welsh rugby player Tom Williams.

Welsh rugby player Tom Williams. Photo: AFP or licensors

The incident arose in the tunnel after Wales' 24-19 win in San Francisco.

A statement from World Rugby said Samoa have "provisionally suspended one of their players."

"After medical assessment relating to the incident, Tom Williams was ruled out of the match against Ireland," the statement added.

The Welsh Rugby Union said no Welsh player is facing any sanctions for the incident and confirmed World Rugby will investigate the issue.

A World Rugby statement read: "We can confirm a Samoa player has been provisionally suspended from Rugby World Cup Sevens 2018 following an initial investigation into an alleged incident in the tunnel area after a match between Samoa and Wales at AT&T Park on Saturday.

"The alleged behaviour is not aligned with the sport's values and the excellent spirit in which this competition has been played by the 40 participating teams.

"World Rugby has instigated an investigation and the Samoa player will remain provisionally suspended until the final conclusion of that process."

Wales were allowed to bring in Will Talbot-Davies to replace Williams but were still defeated by Ireland 27-12 in the Challenge Trophy semi-final on the final day.

Gareth Williams' side eventually finished 11th when they beat Canada 35-12 in their last game.

-BBC