Ross Moriarty, a Welsh rugby player, has criticized fans who he says shouted at his 13-year-old cousin during the Dragons’ loss to the Scarlets.
During a New Year’s Day match, Moriarty, a member of the Dragons’ back row, was involved in a controversial incident in which he received a yellow card for pulling the scrum cap off of an opposing player, Sione Kalamafoni.
The Scarlets responded by throwing punches at Moriarty and was subsequently given a red card and banned for two weeks. The disciplinary panel cited Moriarty’s “highly provocative and potentially dangerous actions” as a factor in the length of the ban.
It would appear, during the match at Parc y Scarlets, that Moriarty’s young cousin was subjected to abuse while trying to defend him.
The Wales international posted on Instagram: “I do not mind the abuse I receive online or on a rugby pitch from fans there will always be 2 sides, but to learn that on the weekend my little cousin who is 13 had grown men screaming in her face for asking them to stop abusing me verbally that does not sit right with me or should not sit right at any sports ground. That is a line I really hope people should not think is right to cross.”
In response to the Instagram post by Ross Moriarty and the subsequent story on WalesOnline, the Scarlets made the following statement.
“We are extremely disappointed to read of the incident involving Ross Moriarty’s cousin at the New Year’s Day match against the Dragons.
“We work extremely hard with our supporters’ organisations Crys16 and Scarlets Officials Supporters Group to create a family-friendly environment for home and away fans at Parc y Scarlets and to hear of a young girl receiving verbal abuse from a fan is wholly unacceptable.
“We have a zero-tolerance policy to abuse of any nature at our stadium and encourage supporters to report such incidents to the club. If the family would like to get in touch with us we will investigate this further.”