Lee Bowyer and Kieron Dyer of Newcastle come to blows against Aston Villa in 2005. Photo / Getty Images
The Crusaders have done their best to downplay an incident between Kershawl Sykes-Martin and Will Tucker, after reports of punches being thrown during a heated training session.
Initial reports say tensions were high and teammates had to step in and intervene, but Crusaders coach Rob Penney told Newstalk ZB that was far from the truth and the incident was over in 15 seconds.
The incident took place on Tuesday, when prop Sykes-Martin ran into the sore shoulder of lock Tucker, who took exception to the hit.
This won’t be the first or the last time teammates have clashed on the training field or even during a match, which got us thinking about some of the most infamous altercations between teammates across sport.
It had been a tough day on the field for Newcastle footballers, and it was summed up by a stunning scrap between Kieron Dyer and Lee Bowyer that resulted in both players being sent from the field in April 2005.
Newcastle were trailing at home to Aston Villa, and already a man down, when Steven Taylor was red-carded for a hilarious handball inside the penalty box, where he tried to claim it came off his face.
Late in the second half, Bowyer became frustrated and accused Dyer of not passing to him. Dyer responded by saying, “It’s because you’re s***,” which then descended into chaos.
Bowyer marched up to his Magpies teammate and started punching him in front of 52,000 fans at St James’ Park. Players from both sides intervened to break it up.
Both players were handed red cards, and they continued to clash in the tunnel before being forced to apologise in the post-match press conference alongside manager Graeme Souness.
Bowyer was hit with a seven-match ban, while Dyer was suspended for just three games.
The pair are among the four players who have been sent off for hitting a teammate in a Premier League match. In 2008, Ricardo Fuller was sent off for hitting his captain, Andy Griffin, while this season Everton’s Idrissa Gueye was red-carded for slapping Michael Keane.
Lewis Moody became the first England international to be red-carded at Twickenham in 2005 for landing 30 punches on Samoa’s Alesana Tuilagi after a tackle gone wrong.
While both players were on opposite teams in this fixture, they were club teammates with the Leicester Tigers.
In the second half, Tuilagi tackled England winger Mark Cueto in the air, and he responded by squaring up his opponent, which the hulking Samoan centre took exception to and started punching him.
Moody then rushed in, unleashing a barrage of punches himself. Once the dust settled, both players were given their marching orders.
They copped bans, Moody for nine games and Tuilagi for three, while the Tigers didn’t take further action.
Interestingly, Moody has only just returned to action, having just completed a six-match ban for fighting future Tigers teammate Jordan Crane during a reserves match, while the year before he had also been involved in an incident with England captain Martin Johnson.
While nothing physical transpired in this altercation in 2009, it had teetered on the verge of being more severe when threats of violence led to guns being pulled in the Washington Wizards locker room.
On a flight back from Phoenix, Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton got into a verbal confrontation over an $1100 pot in a game of cards. Arenas threatened to burn Crittenton alive in his car. Crittenton took this seriously and said he would shoot Arenas before that could happen.
Arenas replied by saying he would bring the guns for him to do it, and two days later he kept his word, bringing unloaded guns into the locker room. In response, Crittenton pulled out a loaded gun, causing every other team member to run out of the locker room – and lock the door behind them.
Both players were fined and suspended for the rest of the 2009-10 season without pay, and while Arenas’ career in the NBA was never the same, Crittenton never played again.
Fewer than two years later, Crittenton was charged with murder for shooting someone who police believe was an innocent bystander. He served time in prison and was released in 2023.
It also led to the creation of a Netflix documentary last year, Shooting Guards.
Tension was high in 1994 as Heart of Midlothian captain Craig Levein punched teammate Graeme Hogg in the face, breaking his nose, in a pre-season friendly match against Raith Rovers.
After a mix-up at the back that nearly led to a goal, Hogg appeared to push Levein, who lashed out with his fists.
His first punch missed, but his second floored Hogg. Referee Bill Crombie immediately red-carded Levein, and he also sent off Hogg as the player was helped on to a stretcher after having treatment for a facial injury. Hearts went on to lose 2-0.
Both players were transfer-listed by the club, although they did remain with Hearts during the season, and Levein was stripped of his captaincy.
Hogg received a 10-match ban for his actions, while Levein was handed a 12-match suspension. The pair remain good friends.
Before the 2007 Rugby World Cup, an Ireland training session quickly turned on its head when lock Paul O’Connell thought he had killed Ryan Caldwell.
During the non-contact session, Caldwell tackled O’Connell, who got up and threw a punch with his right hand, causing Caldwell to drop to the ground, unconscious.
A tooth caused a massive cut on his cheek, and his mouth began bleeding profusely, and he required CPR before being rushed to hospital.
O’Connell called it the “worst moment” of his career, and apologised to the squad the following day.
Caldwell went on to play for Ireland twice, but was forced to retire from rugby, aged 30, when he turned to drugs and spent time in prison. Those dark times have since taken a turn for the better, and Caldwell now runs a business that teaches meditation and breath work.
In an interview with the Irish Times, he said the incident with O’Connell was a trauma he never addressed.
What was meant to be a pleasant day at the New York Mets in 1989 for their annual team photo turned into chaos when Keith Hernandez and Darryl Strawberry nearly came to blows in front of reporters, cameras and TV crews.
Strawberry was told to sit next to Hernandez in the second row, so that jersey No 17 and 18 would be side-by-side, which the former wasn’t keen on.
Triggered by contract disputes, mounting tension, and Hernandez calling Strawberry’s behaviour “baby stuff”, Strawberry swung at and grazed Hernandez.
Teammates managed to separate the pair, but Strawberry made another charge at Hernandez, and both players then met face-to-face in a closed-door session.
The team photo was eventually taken, but it summed up the season the Mets were about to have.
Ben Francis is an Auckland-based reporter for the New Zealand Herald who covers breaking sports news.