A player in Argentina has had part of his finger bitten off in a ruck in the province of Tucumán.
Daniel Contreras, the player who was on the receiving end of the bite, said that in "29 years of playing rugby, I've never seen anything like it, and I'm no saint."
Speaking to La Nación, Contreras said that he noticed part of his finger was missing as he and the opponent, whom he has refused to name, were getting up off the ground after a ruck.
"I couldn't believe it," said Contreras, "The referee asked me to leave the game so that the doctors could attend to my injury. I didn't react too much because my wife and children were there."
Although Contreras, who plays for Corsarios, found the piece of his finger which had been bitten off in the wake of the incident, he was told by the doctors that because it hit the ground and could have been contaminated with bacteria, so they couldn't reattach it.
They added that it will take him about three months, more or less, to recover from the injury.
Argentina: Víctor Macías del rugby mordió a Daniel Contreras, jugador de Corsarios y le quitó un pedazo de su dedo. pic.twitter.com/Ak5EXAWlax
— Deporte Total (@deportetotal_bo) 13 July 2016
The Rugby Union of Tucumán issued a statement as a result of the incident making headlines in Argentina, stating that "incidents like this run contrary to the spirit and the values of our sport. For that reason, we once again reaffirm that they should not happen and must be eradicated," adding that they will take all necessary measures as a result.
Speaking on Quorum radio, Contreras said that the he was recovering well from the injury, and that he has made a complaint to the police, but only because he needed it to certify his absence from work. He added that he is not currently planning on taking any civil action as a result.
This isn't the only story to come out about the particularly aggressive nature of the game in Argentina, after a player received a huge ban for kicking an opponent in the head back in April.
Via La Nación
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