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Leicester Tigers hosted Northampton Saints in the East Midlands derby
Nicky Smith and Tommy Reffell found themselves at the centre of a fiery flashpoint just two minutes into the East Midlands derby between Leicester Tigers and Northampton Saints.
The heated scenes erupted at Welford Road moments after Wales flanker Reffell produced one of his trademark jackal turnovers to win Leicester an early penalty.
Standing over the grounded Reffell was fellow Welshman Smith, who celebrated the turnover passionately and appeared to direct his roar towards Northampton hooker Robbie Smith.
The Saints forward immediately took exception, springing to his feet and grabbing Smith before shoving him away.
Within seconds, players from both sides piled in as tensions exploded in front of a raucous derby crowd.
The incident prompted an animated reaction from TNT Sports commentator Ben Kay, who sensed trouble immediately.
“It’s going to kick-off!” Kay shouted on commentary.
“Nicky Smith is in there, here comes [Alex] Mitchell. Now the big boys arrive.
“There will be a bit of pushing and shoving, no one will throw anything and the referee will warn them.”
Fellow commentator Nick Mullins then highlighted the significance of the fixture and the intensity surrounding the rivalry.
“There’s always debate about which derby means the most,” he said.
“If you live in the West Country you’ll have your own view. If you live in London you’ll have your own view.
“If you live up here there’s only one derby and we are watching it right now.”
The fiery exchange perfectly summed up the ferocity of the East Midlands rivalry, with both sides clearly desperate to land an early psychological blow.
Wales loose-forward Reffell has built a reputation as one of the PREM’s most destructive breakdown operators, while fellow front-rower Smith has brought a confrontational edge to Leicester’s pack since joining the club.
Their involvement in the early melee will doubtless have delighted Tigers supporters, who responded noisily as tempers flared between the two sides.
