Father of 31-Year-Old Rugby Player Runs on Field to Defend Son During Brawl (Video)

by Jonathan Hardacker on Thu, Dec 1, 2011 at 1:27PM

It’s paternal instinct to want to fight for and protect your son if he gets into a fight.

But if your son is a 31-year-old world class rugby player, chances are he can handle himself.

That didn’t stop Lucien Harinordoquy from rushing the field to help his son, Immanol, when a fight broke out between French rugby clubs Bayonne and Biarritz. The brawl erupted early on in the game with numerous punches thrown, according to NBC Sports. When Lucien realized his son was in danger, he reacted by sprinting out of the stands and trying to instigate a fight with a Bayonne player, as seen below.

“I would like to present my apologies to the fans of Bayonne and Biarritz present, to the two teams and their staff members, to the LNF [French League] and the FFR [French Rugby Federation] and to rugby in general,” Lucien said in a statement on Biarritz’s website. “Under pressure, and for various reasons, I totally lost control. I regret behaving in this way.”

The president of Bayonne rugby club plans to file complaints to the French league for Lucien’s behavior along with the behavior of the Biarritz’s players in the fight.

Immanol was one of France’s best players during this year’s World Cup, leading them all the way to the Finals before they fell against New Zealand.

Check out the video below.