North’s bite claim under investigation
SIX NATIONS authorities have launched an investigation into the furore surrounding France’s dramatic victory over Wales after Les Bleus were accused of contravening the spirit of rugby. Guy Noves’ side were 20-18 winners in Paris, Damien Chouly crossing for the game’s decisive try in the 100th minute. But the fallout to the encounter has seen the home team come under fire both for their replacement of prop forward Uini Atonio in the dying minutes, and the accusation Wales wing George North was bitten. Wales head coach Rob Howley was incensed by Noves’ replacement of Atonio in the 80th minute after a French doctor removed him from the field for a head injury assessment. That was despite
the forward telling referee Wayne Barnes he just had a bad back. North’s insistence he had been bitten contributed further to a farcical finish. A tournament spokesperson said: ‘With regards to the biting incident surrounding George North, we have an independent match-citing commissioner. The commissioner will be reviewing all the major incidents in the game and he has 48 hours to do so. As for the replacement of France’s prop forward, we are aware of the concerns surrounding the use of the head injury assessment protocol.’ The rules of rugby state that you cannot substitute a replacement, unless that player is not fit to continue. Noves denied accusations of cheating by replacing Atonio, while he also insinuated that North may have bitten himself. Wales players were outspoken about both matters, with centre Jonathan Davies saying: ‘Player welfare is important. But it [the HIA] just didn’t seem right.’ Flanker Justin Tipuric added: ‘George came into the dressing room and you could see a big bite mark on his arm.’ The Six Nations are set to rule on both matters today.