- England’s Rock Hill has been accused of putting a fan in a headlock after Bath Sale.
- The forward was reportedly alienated from the fan by Brian McGuigan
- Finn Russell kicked 16 points to secure Bath’s place in next Saturday’s final.
Jonny Hill was reported to the police by a fan who claimed he was put in a headlock and had his eye gouged out after Bath’s play-off win over Sale at The Rec.
Tensions ran high after the final whistle when the forward, who had been sidelined for England and the Lions, was pulled off by Sale coach Byron McGuigan.
Hill has not played since January due to a knee injury but was left frustrated in his coaching position as Sale narrowly missed out on qualifying for the final.
The shooting occurred in the Friends and Family area of the West Stand, where the 28-year-old Bath supporter was left with broken glasses and a cut above his right eye.
According to The Telegraph, the supporter reported the incident to Avon and Somerset Police, but it is not yet known what action will be taken.
Jonny Hill was accused of putting a fan in a headlock and leaving him with a slitted eye and broken glasses after Bath’s win over Sale on Saturday.
Bath’s play-off win over Sale was overshadowed by ugly scenes at the final whistle.
“I was sitting there and he came down the stairs and grabbed me by the neck, snatched my sunglasses and cut the top of my eye,” the fan said last Saturday.
‘He seemed to be saying to me, ‘Don’t ever do that again.’ I was just joking with him.
‘Honestly, all I want is new sunglasses. That’s not football. I sat with my partner and her family (Bath fans). We were Worcester fans.’
Sale coach Alex Sanderson spent the game on pitchside and was made aware of the incident at the post-match press conference.
He said, “This is news to me. Johnny is not the aggressive type. I will answer that question when I find out.” I can vouch for Johnny’s character. He is not an overly aggressive or malicious person.’
The incident overshadowed a fierce contest in which Finn Russell kicked 16 points to secure Bath’s place in Saturday’s final against Northampton.
Bath have not won the Premier League since 1996 and club legend Jeremy Guscott sat in the stands as Johan van Gran’s side tried to end their trophy drought.
Sale issued a statement on Saturday acknowledging it was aware of the incident and committing to work with Bath to complete the investigation.
Sale coach Alex Sanderson only found out about the incident during his post-game press conference.
‘Sale Sharks are aware of an incident involving a player and a Bath Rugby fan during the final whistle of today’s semi-final.’ The statement began.
‘The club will be working with Bath Rugby to complete its investigation into the incident and will not be making any further comment at this time.’
