Bush jaw-breaker awaits penalty

Sam Marshall-Wilson, centre, was left shirtless after the incident in the game against Wanganui. FILE PHOTO

Wairarapa-Bush flanker Sam Marshall-Wilson was cited after throwing a punch that broke a Wanganui player's jaw during the Heartland championship match at Wanganui last Saturday.

The incident happened early in the second half and was the subject of an NZRFU judicial investigation yesterday with any penalty to be inflicted on Marshall-Wilson likely to be announced today.

A report in the Wanganui Chronicle newspaper said tensions that had brewed in the first half, including one pull-apart fight, had boiled over minutes after the resumption as Marshall-Wilson "cold-cocked" Wanganui first five Dane Whale while Wairarapa-Bush spread the ball to the other sideline and fullback Sam Monaghan dived over to score.

Wanganui captain Peter Rowe was quoted as saying he had been in a running battle with Marshall-Wilson and then Whale interceded. They had been jogging away when the flanker swung at the unsuspecting first-five.

"He just whacked him, broke his jaw," said Rowe. Enraged Wanganui players had run to sort out Marshall-Wilson in a full-tilt fist fight that left him with his shirt ripped off and his front-row teammate Otto Rasch lying dazed on the ground.

On the advice of touch judge Gordon Ririnui, Auckland referee Daniel Morrison had binned Marshall-Wilson and Wanganui wing Samu Kabunavanua for punching and disallowed Monaghan's try.

The Chronicle report also quoted Wanganui coach Jason Caskey as saying further action was necessary against Marshall-Wilson. "It ends Dane's season and it's a shame too," he said.

Wairarapa-Bush head coach Mark Rutene does not dispute Marshall-Wilson threw the punch that broke Whale's jaw but he said video coverage of the incident indicated circumstances leading up to it were different from those published in the Wanganui newspaper.

"The way we see it, Sam was firstly held down and had his jersey pulled over his head and the punch was certainly not a king hit. The two players were basically facing each other," Rutene said.

"Obviously we can't condone any punches being thrown or underplay the seriousness of the injury, but it's important to look at what happened beforehand ... and to get the facts right."

Wanganui went on to win the match 38-24 after Wairarapa-Bush had climbed back to trail 33-24 with 16 minutes left after trailing 33-5 at halftime. It was a loss that ended any slight hopes Wairarapa-Bush might have had of reaching the semifinals of the second-tier Lochore Cup and means this Saturday's encounter against unbeaten Buller at Memorial Park is basically only of academic interest for both sides. By winning all seven of their matches to date, Buller have already guaranteed themselves a home Meads Cup semifinal, and a home final if they happen to get that far.

For Wairarapa-Bush, however, the chance to finish the season on a high note by knocking over the top side has not been lost on Rutene, who says it will give his players extra motivation to produce a strong performance; that and their desire to give their loyal supporter base something to celebrate.

With Marshall-Wilson's availability in doubt, the good news for Wairarapa-Bush is fellow loosie Tom Fleming is likely to be recovered from the injury that kept him out of the Wanganui game.