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World Cup 7s : Samoa player suspended over tunnel brawl

Manu player Gordon Langkilde, center-rightTom Glyn Williams scoring

San Francisco, CA — A member of Samoa's Rugby World Cup Sevens squad was suspended from the final day of play on Sunday after a post-match fracas which left Welsh player Tom Williams with a tournament-ending injury, authorities confirmed. 

Gordon Langkilde was benched for Samoa's games in the consolation rounds at AT&T Park after a stormy end to Wales' 24-19 win over the South Pacific islanders on Saturday. 

"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," World Rugby said in a statement.

"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.

Read more at Sport 24

PRESS STATEMENT FROM SAMOA RUGBY UNION
One of Samoa's stalwarts, Gordon Langkilde has been provisionally suspended from Rugby World Cup Sevens 2018 following an alleged incident after the match against Wales on Saturday.

“The SRU is aware of an incident taking place post-match. Incidents of this nature are extremely disappointing and take the focus off the game itself. The SRU is currently supporting Gordon with the investigations with World Rugby and the local San Francisco police. Our major focus is to support Gordon with every effort possible at this time,” according to Zane Hilton, HPU Manager.

“An incident like this is never good for the game or the players involved. We are working with SRU to firstly ensure that effective legal representation and personal support is with Gordon Langkilde and secondly, that all the players of the Samoan and Wales teams are supported with what they need at this time. It is a precarious situation for Langkilde as we support him through the process with local authorities and World Rugby,” wrote Aayden Clarke, CEO of Pacific Rugby Players Association.