CHAOS erupted at an England rugby league match against Samoa as the match descended into a “Royal Rumble”.
England won the first Test match against Samoa on Sunday in Wigan 34-18.
It all got a bit heated at the end of England v Samoa!#BBCRL pic.twitter.com/WhTCRNX7eP
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) October 27, 2024
GettyEngland and Samoa players were involved in a heated scrap in rugby league[/caption]
PAThe melee ended up involving every player from both teams[/caption]
However, in the closing stages, things got heated as Terell May refused to let go of the shirt of England’s Matty Lees.
The pair then wrestled to the floor before players from both sides tried to split it up.
But that then sparked off a series of smaller grappling matches, with the referee unable to regain control.
Every single player was involved in one way or another.
BBC commentator Matt Newman described the incident as like “a Royal Rumble”.
The WWE-style imitation miraculously only resulted in an England penalty.
England manager Shaun Wane was left with a wide grin on his face in the aftermath.
While England emerged triumphant in this first test, Samoa could look to get their own back in a week’s time.
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The second test between the nations takes place at Headingley next Sunday.
Three Lions captain George Williams was named Man of the Match.
On the game, he said: “We lost two interception tries, but the most pleasing thing was that we won.
“But Shaun Wane will have us wanting to get better. We want it to be physical.
“We know Samoa are physical. It’ll be the same next week and we’ll be ready for it.”
On the next match, Wane added: “We’re looking forward to the second Test, we’ll be firing at Leeds and they’ll be desperate not to go 2-0, so it has the makings of a fantastic game.”
Samoa coach Ben Gardiner also told BBC TV: “It was very physical, we missed the start we needed, they got the start, they won key moments in the game and that was the difference tonight.
“We played the game we wanted to play, we probably need a bit more possession to play the way we want to. We just had some moments that weren’t great moments.
“We’ve a little bit of work to do, but that’s part of playing Test match football, putting two games together and going again next week.”