Harinordoquy's Da runs onto pitch to defend his son

eigrod · 30-11-2011 10:21AM #1

Hahahahahah

This is one of the funniest things I've ever heard on a professional sports field

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/sport/father-of-france-forward-imanol-harinordoquy-joins-on-field-fight/story-e6frg7mf-1226210001397

THE father of French international Imanol Harinordoquy brought the Top 14 Basque derby between Biarritz and Bayonne to a halt yesterday after running onto the pitch to defend his son.
According to an AFP correspondent Harinordoquy's father came down from the stands in the sixth minute of the clash and faced up to Bayonne flanker Jean-Jo Marmouyet after his son got involved in a punch-up far from the action.

Why Harinordoquy Sr thought his son needed defending is a moot point. The younger man has earned a reputation as a tough, skilful forward.

The 1.92m, 105kg Harinordoquy has been capped 77 times for France and taken on the monster forward packs of South Africa and New Zealand.

Harinordoquy senior's admirable sense of family loyalty was brought to an abrupt halt by Bayonne fly-half Benjamin Boyet, who tackled him to the ground before Biarritz hooker Benoit August stepped in to restore order.

...Christian Gajan, Bayonne's director of rugby, was outraged by Harinordoquy's father's behaviour.

"I find his behaviour deplorable that he came onto the pitch to defend his son by boxing with (Jean-Jo) Marmouyet at the beginning of the match,'' he said.

"You could have been mistaken for believing it was a youth match between two local villages, it was a scandalous episode.''

Harinordoquy Jr - who is known as one of the tougher customers in the sport and a veteran of three World Cups - preferred not to comment.

Risteard · 30-11-2011 10:30AM

There's a video of it here.

CatFromHue · 30-11-2011 10:55AM

Ha Ha that's hilarious!

The Bayonne 10 wasn't taking any customers when he threw him on the ground, I'd say he was actually very surprised that it was such an elderly gentleman who wanted to mix it up with some 6'6" 18 stone guys!

I think there was a case in England at the end of not last season but the season before where two Dads started fighting in the crowd and the fight spilled onto the pitch.

In saying that i think my sister had to be told by my Dad to relax after a guy stamped on me once

.

Spudmonkey · 30-11-2011 11:10AM

Easy knowing where Imanol gets his toughness from.

Benny Cake · 30-11-2011 11:39AM

Like something you'd see at a Junior B GAA game!!

PhatPiggins · 30-11-2011 12:52PM

That number 7 for Bayonne is a proper piece of sh1t, throwing haymakers at Harinordoguy as he's being held by two other Bayonne players.

Wasn't so hard when a 60 year old man wearing glasses came at him in a rage :rolleyes:

Snickers Man · 30-11-2011 12:54PM

"I've come for ma boy!!"

Fair play to the da!!!

Mind you I hope junior doesn't expect me ever to intervene in a similar situation. That's what team mates are for.

justsomebloke · 30-11-2011 03:10PM

I wonder at what point Imanol found out that his dad was on the pitch

cson · 30-11-2011 04:25PM

justsomebloke wrote: »

I wonder at what point Imanol found out that his dad was on the pitch

Hilarious at the end where you can see him telling his Dad to get off the pitch and out the way.

iroced · 30-11-2011 05:25PM

cson wrote: »

Hilarious at the end where you can see him telling his Dad to get off the pitch and out the way.

It's not Harinordoquy. It's Benoit August I think the number 2.

duckysauce · 30-11-2011 06:11PM

Benny Cake wrote: »

Like something you'd see at a Junior B GAA game!!

na there was no Jack Russell on the field

cson · 30-11-2011 06:18PM

iroced wrote: »

It's not Harinordoquy. It's Benoit August I think the number 2.

Erroneous sir; I refer you to 1.07 in the below clip;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sypud2O8E00

errlloyd · 30-11-2011 06:33PM

Did he disallow the try based on the fight or based on a penalty offense before the fight.

If so I would be raging if I was bayonne coach.

Taco Corp · 30-11-2011 07:47PM

Eh... Was the ref Peter Fitzgibbon?

Edit: indeed it was. http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,3943_7339410,00.html

Didn't know he spoke French.

hardCopy · 30-11-2011 07:50PM

Is that Fitzgibbon reffing? Another Irish ref with decent spoken French.

Morf · 30-11-2011 11:01PM

Surley wrote: »

Eh... Was the ref Peter Fitzgibbon?

Edit: indeed it was. http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,3943_7339410,00.html

Didn't know he spoke French.

That's what i was most surprised about.

iroced · 01-12-2011 11:09AM

cson wrote: »

Erroneous sir; I refer you to 1.07 in the below clip;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sypud2O8E00

Ah OK

. In the previous one we couldn't see that far in the action...
But in fairness, it's Benoit August that has the most sensible reaction at first.

errlloyd wrote: »

Did he disallow the try based on the fight or based on a penalty offense before the fight.

If so I would be raging if I was bayonne coach.

Yes. On the basis that the "7 Blue" started the fight. I don't know what happened really as we couldn't see the start of the fight on TV. But, Bayonne are raging about the "incident".

hardCopy wrote: »

Is that Fitzgibbon reffing? Another Irish ref with decent spoken French.

Indeed

. I can't say the same thing about the english ability of the French referees...

QDog10 · 01-12-2011 12:44PM

I know it was a local derby but the Father must of been pretty fired up!!
Will he get a life ban for pitch invasion/attacking a player??

thomond2006 · 01-12-2011 12:51PM

Nah, I reckon Biarritz will sign him up! :pac:

JustinDee · 01-12-2011 12:53PM

Surley wrote: »

Eh... Was the ref Peter Fitzgibbon?

Edit: indeed it was. http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,3943_7339410,00.html

Didn't know he spoke French.

Yes, it was a refixed game that was cancelled previously due to an outbreak of mumps.
He has a bit of French as do a few of the refs.

WeeBushy · 01-12-2011 01:47PM

Would make sense for refs to learn French, and to some degree Italian, seeing as they are the other languages in which the game is played to a high level. It makes them more employable, and makes it easier to communicate with the players. Prevents the players from selectively understanding what the ref is saying!

JustinDee · 01-12-2011 01:48PM

WeeBushy wrote: »

Prevents the players from selectively understanding what the ref is saying!

I doubt that, even with English speaking players!
Besides in France, its not as if certain teams have many French speaking players anyway (Stade Francais, Toulon etc) lol

Cardinal Richelieu · 01-12-2011 06:10PM

Good to see the refs trying to speak french. What was the Irish ref that use to get handed the French games in the 80s that was in the wine trade. Doyle wasn't it?

JustinDee · 01-12-2011 07:59PM

Cardinal Richelieu wrote: »

Good to see the refs trying to speak french. What was the Irish ref that use to get handed the French games in the 80s that was in the wine trade. Doyle wasn't it?

Owen Doyle. He is director of refereeing in IRFU.

desertcircus · 02-12-2011 09:03AM

Was at a "meet the refs" event after a Leinster game last year where Alain Rolland told a story of a referee who was handed a Six Nations game for the first time, and was thrilled to be able to make use of his French. When the first scrum was called, he explained what he expected from the pack in fluent French, and turned to be faced with a frontrower asking "any chance of getting that in Welsh?"...

Losty Dublin · 02-12-2011 06:48PM

JustinDee wrote: »

He has a bit of French as do a few of the refs.

If only Fitzy could speak some understandable English one of the days, Justin

Harinordoquy's Da runs onto pitch to defend his son

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