Wigan’s Ben Flower has said that he is “devastated” over his actions in his team’s Super League Grand Final against St Helens, in which he punched rival Lance Hohaia and knocked him unconscious.
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The Wigan prop was sent off for the incident, with it attracting a huge degree of criticism throughout the rugby world. Speaking to Sky Sports, Flower discussed the incident and spoke of how it impacted him following the game.
“I think about it every day,” he said. “If I could take it back, I would, every day of the week. The things that have come off the back of it have been hard. But letting people down was the hardest – the players, the club and my family. It’s been tough for me, but it’s been tougher for them.”
Flower has been banned from rugby for six months for his actions. You can watch the gruesome incident below:
Though Flower was penalised greatly, Hohaia proved to be the bigger man and stated that he held no grudge against the prop, something which Flower was appreciative of.
Flower said: “I can’t thank St Helens and Lance enough. I’d look forward to meeting him, and hope there will be a handshake and a chat. I know he didn’t take it to heart.”
Flower’s sending off undoubtedly contributed to Wigan’s loss, making his future in rugby even more uncertain. Flower admitted he understood this, saying: “I will give everything I’ve got to hopefully get us back there this season.”
