Wales Sevens players to take criminal proceedings 'all the way' after assault by Samoa player

Samoan player Gordon Langkilde. Photo /Getty

The Wales players attacked at the Rugby World Cup Sevens plan to take criminal proceedings against Gordon Langkilde "all the way" after the Samoan was arrested and charged with assault.

Langkilde remains in custody in the US and San Francisco Police confirmed he has been charged with aggravated assault and battery causing serious bodily injury.

The 22-year-old is accused of assaulting two Welsh players after the clash between the sides at AT&T Park on Saturday afternoon erupted into violence at the final whistle. Wales won the game 24-19 thanks to a golden point try scored by Tom Williams, but as the two teams departed the field and went into the tunnel, things are alleged to have turned sour.

San Francisco Police confirmed Langkilde is accused of assaulting two Wales players, a 26-year-old who suffered facial injuries and a 21-year-old who has broken facial bones.

A third victim, a 24-year-old from Wales, also suffered facial injuries during the incident. It is understood the Wales players are Williams, Luke Morgan, and Ben Roach. Williams was left covered in blood by the incident and is believed to have had his nose and cheek bone broken.

Announcement of the squad change was due to "extra-ordinary circumstances."
Looking at the rosters for this morning's match between Samoa and Kenya, Samoa's Gordon Langkilde was not listed.
After Saturday's game, Wales' Williams was spotted bleeding heavily in mixed zone area.

— Patrick Johnston (@risingaction) July 22, 2018

Morgan was also knocked to the floor while Roach was punched in the face and suffered a nasty cut below the eye which required stitches.

He was seen sporting a bandage to protect the wound as the World Cup action continued following the unsavoury incident on Sunday. Langkilde was suspended by Samoa for the World Cup's final day on Sunday, but was then later arrested at his team's hotel at 1.15pm on the same afternoon. It is understood Wales' players are determined to pursue the matter.

"The boys want to take this all the way," a Wales source said. "There was nothing in the game which suggested this sort of thing might happen so it came out of nowhere."

San Francisco Police's investigation remains ongoing and it remains unclear what punishment awaits Langkilde both from a criminal and rugby perspective. Asked to provide an update, World Rugby stayed tight-lipped and refused to add their original statement which was issued soon after the incident took place.

The statement read: "We can confirm a Samoa player has been provisionally suspended from Rugby World Cup Sevens 2018 following an initial investigation into an alleged incident in the tunnel area after a match between Samoa and Wales at AT&T Park on Saturday.

"The alleged behaviour is not aligned with the sport's values and the excellent spirit in which this competition has been played by the 40 participating teams. "World Rugby has instigated an investigation and the Samoa player will remain provisionally suspended until the final conclusion of that process."