All Blacks staff involved in heated sideline tussle

LAWRENCE SMITH

HAIR-RAISER: All Blacks captain Richie McCaw has his hair pulled from behind during one of the scuffles in yesterday's test against France.

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Suspicions of eye-gouging were swirling around Stade Velodrome in Marseille after an ugly incident saw two of the All Blacks support staff caught up in the hurly burly.

Kicking coach Mick Byrne and scrum guru Mike Cron found themselves embroiled in a tussle with French players after it spilled over the sidelines.

Byrne was forced to put his forearm up to a French players' chest, while Cron appeared to help pull a player off an All Black on the ground.

Nobody was saying anything after the match, but Cron and Byrne received pats on the back and high fives from the All Blacks reserves after retreating back to their seats.

It is understood the pair acted to protect All Blacks prop Tony Woodcock, who was being eye-gouged on the ground before the incident boiled over the sideline.

It is also understood that TV replays were examined after the match, but proved inconclusive.

All Blacks skipper Richie McCaw was on the spot, but refuted early reports that he had been the victim of a gouge and a kick.

"I presume you mean when Conrad [Smith] scored his try. I don't think either of those is true," he said.

"I got caught in a horrible position and was trying to get free and the fella underneath thought I'd done something to him.

"I don't think there was any reason for that happening, but that's why it started. It's just how it happened. I wasn't aware of any eye-gouging or being kicked. That may have happened, but I wasn't aware of it. It was just obviously a bit of frustration on their part and reacting to something."

French coach Marc Lievremont said he did not see the fight, instead referring to the late yellow card that saw All Blacks prop Owen Franks binned in the final minutes of the match.

The citing commissioner has 48 hours to act on allegations of foul play.

- © Fairfax NZ News