Massive fight breaks out between British and French navy teams during rugby match
“They all went for a drink afterwards and there were no hard feelings."
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At the site of one of their greatest battles, the British and French navies came to blows again after a huge brawl broke out during an annual match between their rugby teams.
The two teams (Royal Navy in grey, French Marine Nationale in Blue) can be seen throwing punches and grappling with each other in the video above. The fight then splinters out into one-on-one scuffles before the brawl finally comes to an end.
It is unclear from the footage what caused the fight, although The Telegraph quoted a Navy source as saying, "It kicked off a bit during the match, but they calmed down and the match was finished. They all went for a drink afterwards and there were no hard feelings."
The game eventually finished with the French recording a 28-6 victory and claiming the Babcock International Trophy. The fixture is an annual event and has earned the nickname ‘Le Crunch’.
The match was played in Toulon, the site of a real battle between the two navies during the French Revolutionary Wars.
A spokesman for the Royal Navy said: “We are aware of an incident at a rugby match between the Royal Navy and the Marine Nationale in Toulon, France. We understand the match continued without further incident and the two sides socialised together after the game.”
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