There are few professions where a punch-up between workers from two different companies culminates in after-hour beers and inside jokes. Siale Piutau is glad he’s carved a career in one of them.
“That’s the beauty of rugby,” the 35-year-old Bristol Bears centre tells The Rugby Paper. “We put our bodies on the line and we care about what we do. It was great to see my teammates jump in to my defence but it was also great to see the Worcester boys get stuck in to defend their man.
“After the game it’s all over and we move on. We’ve since had a drink and a laugh about it.”
The incident in question would have resulted in court hearings and possible criminal charges had it occurred on the high street. Instead, for throwing and landing several punches each, Piutau and Worcester Warriors’ Andrew Kitchener received three-game bans for an after-whistle brawl in a Premiership clash on September 4.
“I’ve learned my lesson,” Piutau says with a slight chuckle. “You can’t throw closed fists. You’ve got to keep your palms open. But it’s rugby. It’s a bruising sport. It’s part of what makes it special.”
With 43 Test caps for Tonga, including 12 in three World Cup appearances, and a senior rugby journey spanning 14 years, one might assume that Piutau was always destined for a life as a professional rugby player.
“I was a late bloomer actually,” he explains. “I was working as a sales rep for Vodafone trying to convince people that video calling technology would be the next big thing. It was a tough sell back then. Now it’s everywhere.”
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