A FORMER RGC Academy star has been left with “pretty serious” injuries
after an alleged attack at the World Rugby 7s Cup.
Tom Williams, who was part of the Wales squad at the United States of
America showcase, ended his time at the competition on a sour note after an
alleged attack from a Samoan player that left him unable to compete at
finals day.
The 22-year-old, who was competing in his final tournament before
concentrating full-time on his club rugby with Ospreys next season, notched
the golden try to guide the national side to a 24-19 Challenge Trophy
quarter-final clash against Samoa, which led to an altercation in the
tunnel that saw Williams left with “pretty serious” injuries.
The incident, which also saw Gordon Langkilde suspended by the Samoan Rugby
Union, is being investigated by World Rugby and the San Francisco police
department.
A statement from the Welsh Rugby Union stated that no player from the squad
is being investigated following the incident, which saw Gareth Williams
without one of his star names in their 27-12 semi-final defeat against
Ireland, with Gogs’ star Afon Bagshaw among the scorers.
They did manage to finish on a high thanks to a 35-12 success over Canada,
which saw Wales eventually finish the competition in 11th.
A World Rugby statement, read: "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.
"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.
"World Rugby has instigated an investigation and the Samoa player will
remain provisionally suspended until the final conclusion of that process."
Allen Boyd, director of sport at Rydal Penrhos School, where Williams
attended, added: “It was great to see Tom performing so well on such a
large scale and everyone at Rydal Penrhos wishes him the very best as he
recovers from his injuries.”
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