Details have emerged of an altercation between Dan Biggar and a supporter during Northampton Saints' defeat to Gloucester over the weekend have emerged.
Biggar was shown a red card for a high tackle on Lions team-mate Chris Harris during the match at Kingsholm, that Saints went on to lose 31-21, crashing out of the Challenge Cup in the process. In the 54th minute of the match, Biggar got things wrong as he arrived as the second tackler and caught Harris flush on the chin with his shoulder. There were few arguments about the card, and Biggar is now set to learn his fate in a disciplinary hearing.
But then it seems the Wales skipper was subjected to abuse from a member of the crowd as he headed towards the sidelines and took up a position for the rest of the match. Biggar, allegedly, was unable to brush it off and exchanged verbals before stewards intervened.
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These details have been posted to a blog run by Ashley Tuala, the wife of Biggar's Northampton team-mate Ahsee. The post is entitled 'would you say it to their face?' and uses the Biggar incident as an example of the stick professional rugby players take on a weekly basis.
Mrs Tuala wrote: "A player from Northampton Saints had been red carded for a tackle he had made during the game. As he was walking off the field a particular person from the crowd was literally just hailing a whole lot of abusive words to him directly.
"The player bit back and returned some words. Now here is the funny, yet sticky, part. The person in the crowd yelled back because the player was saying things back to him. that he was being unprofessional and that he shouldn’t be saying things back because he is who he is.
"The stewards were then seen trying to calm the situation down. The player was then heard saying: 'I’m not going to sit here and allow someone to verbally abuse me'.
"I must mention people from the crowd had also been heard throughout the game verbally abusing and saying some pretty disgusting things towards not only players but also members of the staff like: 'You're fat' and also using the disgusting word: 'You’re a f****t'. In no way shape or form am I only pinning this verbal abuse on one particular team's home crowd whatsoever this is only a mere example of the type of abuse that can be heard during a match."
Over the last few years, the discourse around the mental health of professional athletes has moved at a pace with the level of abuse they receive for their performances seemingly rising. This is very likely linked to the increased popularity of social media sites, which give supporters direct access to sports stars. This can sometimes be a positive thing but can quite often be the opposite.
During last year's Six Nations, the Welsh Rugby Union publicly condemned those who had taken to social media to abuse Liam Williams after he followed Taulupe Faletau to the sin bin in the closing stages of the Six Nations finale against France. In the final minutes, Wales saw a Grand Slam slip through their hands and a torrent of abuse flowed Williams' way.
The WRU posted some of the messages on their own social media profile to draw attention to the reality of what athletes can sometimes face. Alongside it, the Union added: "The players are proud to represent their country and their jersey. The abuse players are receiving has to stop. This is a tiny example of the abuse just one player received last night.
"In order to help drive the call for change, the players want to highlight the amount of abuse and bile that circulates on social media platforms. We value our fans' support in the matter."
In her blog, Ashley Tuala continued: "In this day and age there has been a massive emphasis on mental health and how important it is for people to be mindful of others and how we treat others. But I feel like when it comes to those in the public eye those senses go out the window.
"I will always refer to athletes in particular rugby players because I can only talk open and honest about something I see, experience and talk about to those in the industry and as a wife of a professional rugby player."
Biggar will face a disciplinary hearing for his red card on Wednesday, April 20.
