Top rugby match marred by 'disgraceful' incident as TV viewers left appalled

A UK rugby player was shown a straight red card for the controversial incident.

Curtis Gregory stamps on his opponents outstretched leg (Image: S4C)

The Super Rygbi Cymru clash between Llandovery and Ebbw Vale was overshadowed by a shocking act of brutality that left spectators horrified. Ebbw Vale's Curtis Gregory received a straight red card for a stamp that defied belief in both its recklessness and savagery, with his unfortunate opponent fortunate to avoid serious harm.

Gregory directed a brutal stamp onto the outstretched leg of a Llandovery player during a ruck, after his leg had been briefly held by his opponent, triggering a heated confrontation in the immediate aftermath.

Referee Craig Evans intervened swiftly in the 35th minute, delivering his verdict to Ebbw Vale's captain: "We have a stamp by this player. I did ask the question if anything aggravated it. My AR (assistant referee) didn't see anything. It's a stamp on the leg. Red card. Permanent."

Replays of the ugly incident prompted audible groans from the S4C commentary team, while viewers watching at home were equally outraged.

Social media users condemned the incident as "vile", "horrific" and "disgraceful", with a significant number demanding a lengthy suspension.

One supporter wrote: "Absolutely thick and very dangerous."

"The worst thing I've seen in a while," added another viewer.

CERDYN COCH 🟥 Cerdyn coch i Curtis Gregory am chwarae brwnt.Ebbw Vale are down to 14 players for the rest of the game.@llandoveryrfc @evrfc 💻 https://t.co/NKyREilISO #SRC | @SuperRygbiCymru https://t.co/kF3lG1ZtvH
— S4C Chwaraeon 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 (@S4Cchwaraeon) October 22, 2026

A further comment read: "Difficult to know how long to ban Curtis Gregory for here. But it has to be long. Very long. One of the most vindictive things I've seen in sport."

Despite being reduced to 14 men so early in the contest while trailing 8-0, and later whittled down to 13, the visitors somehow engineered an extraordinary turnaround to claim a 31-15 victory with 31 consecutive unanswered points.

Second-row Gregory now faces the prospect of a lengthy suspension.