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"Did you see that?" – Maxime Lucu gesture towards Springboks star sparks backlash

Springboks Rugby News
Maxime Luc incident
France scrum-half Maxime Lucu has come under fire on social media following his side's 21-19 win over South Africa.
A clip showing Lucu greeting Springboks players after the final whistle has divided fans, with some accusing him of deliberately snubbing Ox Nché.
The footage shows Lucu moving along the line of players, exchanging brief greetings before continuing on his way.
Some supporters have even suggested the incident was racially motivated, although the clip offers no evidence to support that claim.
Others have pointed out that Lucu appeared to greet several players, including Pieter-Steph du Toit and Manie Libbok, in much the same way.
Lucu had already been involved in one of the match's biggest talking points, receiving a yellow card for a high tackle on Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.

Springboks fans divided over footage

The video quickly attracted contrasting reactions on X.
One supporter wrote: "He didn't greet Ox Pieter Steph and Manie.."
Another questioned the accusations, pointing out that Lucu appeared to greet other Springboks players in a similar fashion.
"Perhaps something happened in the game. Jumping to these conclusions is premature," wrote another fan.
One supporter suggested the exchange could simply reflect tensions from the match itself.
Others questioned why an awkward handshake had become a debate about race.

RUCK verdict: A non-incident blown out of proportion

Having reviewed the footage, we believe this is a non-incident.
Lucu appears to exchange similarly brief greetings with several players, including Pieter-Steph du Toit.
There is nothing in the available footage that establishes a deliberate snub, let alone a racial motive.
Players have just spent 80 minutes competing in a fiercely contested international. Not every post-match interaction will involve a smile, handshake or embrace.
And that is perfectly normal.
The bigger concern is how easily a few seconds of footage can be clipped, stripped of context and weaponised online.
Once an accusation takes hold, the original footage can become almost secondary.
Supporters are entitled to question what they see. But serious accusations require serious evidence.
On this occasion, the footage simply doesn't provide it.

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