Blood flows before vital match between Cape Town rugby rivals

A rugby match between two Cape Town clubs almost turned into boxing bout when a bloody brawl erupted on Saturday.

Villager and Violets were about to butt heads on the field in Kenwyn when two Villager players were allegedly beaten up. TimesLIVE received pictures of the two players covered in blood shortly after the melee.

Villager president Bossie Clarke was livid. “I am going viral on this‚ I am telling you right now‚” he said. “I am very upset with the Western Province Rugby Union. They tell us not to go to the media and they do nothing about it.”

Clarke claimed his players were attacked by four men but could not say what sparked the fracas.

He said they could not call off the match because they were playing for promotion from Western Province Super League B to the A league.

“The boys had to go to the police and lay a charge. The four perpetrators that did this ran away in a kombi and are nowhere to be seen. The field has since been barricaded to ensure that supporters don’t get close to the field.

“Whether the perpetrators were just trying to intimidate us before the game started I don’t know.”

Clarke hinted at an uneasy relationship between his club and Violets‚ who are involved in a battle to avoid relegation.

“That is not all‚ I can give you more stuff. I have got a video of their game last year which is absolutely shocking‚” he said.

“We were going to call the game off but the thing is‚ we are playing to go up to the top of the league. If we pulled out of the game we would have to fight it in the boardroom and we never know if we are going to win it or not.”

Violets could not be reached for comment.