Ponty players spend night in police station
Toulouse
January 11, 2000

Seven players form Pontypridd were detained by French police on Sunday night after a disturbance outside a nightclub in Toulouse.

The team had earlier in the day been beaten by Colomiers in a heated European Cup tie.

It is claimed that trouble flared when the players were refused entry into the nightclub. They were taken to a local police station, apparently for their own safety, before being released without charge the following morning.

It is thought the incident may have been fuelled by the sending off of Colomiers prop RIchard Nones for alleged gouging when the two teams met earlier in the competition.

Pontypridd's chief executive Cenydd Thomas said, "There has been quite a hostile campaign in France over the sending off of their prop and our club has become a target."

The Colomiers club has campaigned for the ban to be overturned and the Welsh club were on the recieving end of a hostile reception on the weekend.

Team manager Richard Hope described the atmosphere as "terrifying" with fans being subjected to verbal and physical abuse.

Pontypridd also were at the centre of a similar disturbance in Brive two years ago when trouble on the field was carried on to a local nightclub.

The club will investigate the matter fully to get a full picture of what happened before reporting to Welsh Rugby Union and the European Cup Rugby organisation.

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