Ben Flower, the Wigan prop, has apologised for his attack on St Helens rival Lance Hohaia during Saturday's Super League Grand Final at Old Trafford.
Flower became the first player to be either sin-binned or sent off in a Super League title decider when he was shown a red card - after only two minutes - for flooring Hohaia with a right hook and then landing another punch to the face as his opponent lay motionless on the ground.
Yesterday he felt moved to apologise for his actions, insisting there was "no defence" for the way he had behaved. In a statement released by Wigan, he said: "I am so sorry for what happened on Saturday night. There is no defence for my actions. It was something that happened in the heat of the moment when our emotions and adrenaline were running high. I instantly regretted it and am devastated that I allowed myself to punch someone like this."
Wigan, the defending champions, were forced to play for 77 minutes with 12 men and it eventually took its toll as St Helens overturned a 6-2 interval deficit to win 14-6 despite playing without a specialist half-back for virtually the whole game.
When Hohaia, who says he does not bear any ill will against Flower, returned to the field, it was to join his team-mates in the victory celebrations. "I'm feeling good," he said. "I don't remember the incident. I've done some silly things myself, so I don't hold any grudges."
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