Leicester Tigers head coach Geoff Parling became embroiled in an angry confrontation with TNT Sports presenter Craig Doyle during Saturday's live broadcast from Villa Park.
The 42-year-old coach approached Doyle during pre-match coverage of the Premiership clash against Gloucester, visibly furious about events that had just unfolded on the pitch.
When Doyle attempted to engage him in conversation, asking "Would you sign him Geoff?", Parling responded with an expletive-laden outburst.
"That's not on. That's f***ing not on. Get off the pitch," the former England international declared before shoving the Irish presenter away from him.
The incident stemmed from an initiation stunt for new presenter Liam McDevitt, a former footballer who had recently joined the TNT Sports team.
Doyle challenged his colleague to attempt a conversion kick from the wing as part of his welcome to the rugby broadcast crew.
"This could be a debut-defining moment," McDevitt remarked before striking the ball, which sailed wide of the posts and landed in the vicinity of Leicester's squad as they prepared for the match.
Though the kick did not strike any players directly, Parling was incensed by the potential risk.
Leicester Tigers head coach Geoff Parling became embroiled in an angry confrontation with TNT Sports presenter Craig Doyle
|GETTY
A clearly taken aback Doyle retreated to the touchline, where pundit Brian O'Driscoll was waiting, offering apologies to viewers for the language used.
Following the match, Parling addressed the incident during his press conference, revealing that TNT Sports' producer had sought him out to apologise.
The coach explained: "They had something set up that wasn't passed with anybody and without our knowledge.
"I'm very wary that I need to protect my players and certainly balls flying towards our players that could go anywhere, there's an injury risk."
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Doyle challenged his colleague to attempt a conversion kick from the wing as part of his welcome to the rugby broadcast crew
|GETTY
The confrontation divided opinion online, with some criticising Parling's behaviour as unacceptable given television's financial contribution to the sport.
TNT Sports pays approximately £40 million annually for exclusive Premiership coverage.
Others defended the coach, arguing broadcasters had no right to kick balls towards players during warm-ups.
Leicester ultimately secured a comprehensive 36-17 triumph over Gloucester to retain the Slater Cup in front of more than 20,000 spectators.
The former England international shoved the Irish presenter away from him
|TNTSPORT
The Tigers established dominance early.
They raced to a 22-0 advantage within the opening 20 minutes through tries from Will Wand and Gabriel Hamer-Webb, before Jamie Blamire crossed twice to effectively end the contest.
By half-time, Leicester held a commanding 29-5 lead at Aston Villa's home ground.
The fixture honours former Gloucester and Leicester lock Ed Slater, who received a motor neurone disease diagnosis in 2022.
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