All Blacks captain Richie McCaw admitted that the bruise below his left eye came from team-mate Owen Franks and not a Springbok.
Quizzed about the facial swelling after a 32-16 Rugby Championship triumph over South Africa at Soccer City, the 112-cap New Zealand flanker said tighthead prop Franks was responsible.
"It was friendly fire I'm afraid. I have Owen Franks to thank for this one," he admitted after New Zealand completed the six-round southern hemisphere championship with six victories.
Former South Africa skipper Corne Krige went one better than Franks in 2002 when a punch he aimed at an England player in Twickenham missed the target and flattened a team-mate instead during a 53-3 loss.
Comments
APV1 says...
@ Headhunter99 - I was once fined by the Club Kangaroo Court for decking my own Scrum Half (in fairness, I thought it was the opposition's 9, so it seemed reasonable at the time).
A pint of mixed God-only-knows-what out of my own boot.
I hope for his own sake that the Citing Commission is more lenient on Owen Franks - I wouldn't wish that on anyone!
Posted 18:12 11th October 2012
7ton says...
Headhunter99
It's obvious that Franks is in dispute with Richie over the captaincy and not Dan Carter as George Smith would have us believe LOL
Posted 09:12 11th October 2012
Headhunter99 says...
Out of curiosity can Franks be cited for swinging at his own player ?
It might be that he was aiming for one of the opposition and belted McCaw... cynics amongst us might insist that McCaw the magnificent is usually so far offside it was only a question of time before he was mistaken for the opposition.
Answers on a postcard and to all the NZ posters this is a light hearted comment and hopefully you might reply in the same way !!
Posted 08:22 11th October 2012
AWEBLAX says...
Does anyone know who Franks was actually swinging at, giving his captain a shiner thats hilarious....hopefully Richie sees the funny side of it too, just not in the mirror. lol
Posted 06:55 11th October 2012
Trinats2 says...
safehands
@Trinats.....a lion born in a barn does not a horse make."
Only because the sheep makes a kiwi hoarse !!!
Kiwi as Kiwi ???? Thought he was born in Australia !!!
Posted 09:26 09th October 2012
safehands says...
@Trinats.....a lion born in a barn does not a horse make. You have the wrong brother too!! Ben is as Kiwi as Kiwi can be bro.
Posted 01:38 09th October 2012
nzmaoriboy says...
He cant be Australian! he's actually awesome at scrummaging...he he..Sorry bro (jokes-jokes)
Posted 18:59 08th October 2012
Ferdie says...
Trinats2 - funny that was my first thought, but no that would be Ben.
An off-field yellow card for this one?
Didn't Nathan Sharpe hurt another Wallaby recently at training - accidents do happen!
Posted 13:44 08th October 2012
cuw3100 says...
one out of the way. so Rich, who was responsible for the claret ?!?!?!?!?
Posted 11:47 08th October 2012
Carpelone says...
Not even a little satisfaction....
Posted 10:55 08th October 2012
KiwiLad says...
Possibly a little off topic, but I have a feeling that Rcihies sabatical will be spent in the gymnasium, bulking up, He is not stupid enough to think he would be picked as a 7 for 2015 RWC, but as a 6 or possibly an 8 he would feel less like John Smit in 2011.
Posted 10:39 08th October 2012
Trinats2 says...
Is Owen Franks the Aussie one ?
Posted 10:22 08th October 2012