Bath 6-37 Leicester Tigers, Aviva Premiership, March 26
Abendanon apology for role in row
ESPNscrum Staff
March 26, 2011
Bath fullback Nick Abendanon is tackled by Alesana Tuilagi, Bath v Leicester Tigers, Aviva Premiership, The Recreation Ground, Bath, England, March 26, 2011
Nick Abendanon received some heavy hits in Saturday's Premiership defeat at home to Leicester © Getty Images
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Bath's Nick Abendanon has apologised for re-entering the field of play to intervene in a punch-up during Saturday's Aviva Premiership defeat by Leicester Tigers at the Recreation Ground.

The fullback, who was on the receiving end of a number of massive hits during the game, had only just been replaced when he ran back on to the pitch when a fight broke out in the 68th minute involving nearly all 30 players.

"I'd taken a few knocks to the head so I probably wasn't aware of where I was. I saw a cheap shot to one of my players and over-reacted a bit. I probably wasn't wholly with it," he is quoted as saying by the Bath Chronicle.

"I apologised to the referee (Dave Pearson) and touch judges after the game and it was out of character. If he decides to file a complaint then I've apologised to him and I regret entering the field of play after I'd been substituted."

Bath head coach Steve Meehan was quick to defend his player, saying: "Nick obviously felt that Dave Pearson needed some help in separating players - he just wanted to calm the situation down."

However, Leicester director of rugby Richard Cockerill was less than impressed that Abendanon had gotten involved in the melee.

"I want to make sure my players are being looked after and that people aren't running on from blindside positions off the bench," he said. "It's not what the game's about.

"I was slightly concerned there were players on the bench running onto the field. You don't want their bench arriving on the field and our bench arriving on the field and things getting out of hand."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

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