Wales scrum-half Mike Phillips has been handed an indefinite suspension from the national side after being involved in an altercation in Cardiff City centre.
Photos were published of the Ospreys’ man being restrained by security staff outside a McDonalds at around 3am, with showing a bouncer having to hold the half-back down on the pavement to prevent him from any further trouble while another sees Phillips being led from the scene in handcuffs. Fans of Betfair Android would have been shocked by the events.
The incident will do further damage to the Welsh game’s reputation after other high-profile incidents involving Gavin Henson and Andy Powell and the incident could cause major problems for coach Warren Gatland as he looks to establish his best side before the World Cup in New Zealand.
Phillips is due to join French side Bayonne immediately after the World Cup after the Ospreys released him from his contract after a disappointing season at both regional and International level.
The WRU have been quick to act on the incident, suspending the player immediately and he has been told not to report to training when the Wales squad meet up for training. Those with a Betfair iPad app will be wondering how well Wales can do when they are suffering so many off field problems.
The incident could see the player join his new club early and speaking on Friday, WRU chief executive Roger Lewis was clearly unhappy about the player’s actions and hinted that Phillips could face heavy sanctions.
“Discipline and acceptable behaviour are issues which run to the core values of the Welsh Rugby Union and we cannot tolerate any compromise of those standards” he told the press
“Mike Phillips is an exceptional player, but there is irrefutable evidence of a prima facie nature that he was engaged in behaviour which falls below the standards we set”.