Rugby: Springbok Scarra Ntubeni apologises after slapping ball from ball boy's hands

Springboks hooker Scarra Ntubeni has apologised for an incident involving a ball boy during a Currie Cup match on Saturday.

Ntubeni, who made his Springbok debut against Argentina at Loftus Versfeld last weekend, was caught angrily slapping a ball out of ball boy Giovanni Fourie's hands as he prepared to take a lineout throw.

What made Ntubeni's frustration even more puzzling though was the fact that his team, Western Province, were ahead 33-19 in the match at the time.

A video of the harsh exchange circulated social media, sparking major backlash and criticism over the Springbok's "pathetic attitude".

Scarra Ntubeni what is this???!! You just lost many fans. Pathetic attitude and simply bad manners. 👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻@WP_RUGBY @Springboks pic.twitter.com/JmayLVlgsN

— Ben van Rensburg (@BenvRensburg) August 24, 2019

You’re winning 33-19, and treat the ball boy as disrespectfully as this.

What was Scarra Ntubeni thinking?pic.twitter.com/SJ9DC6yTsW

— The Rugby Paper (@TheRugbyPaper) August 25, 2019

Ntubeni was quick to track Fourie down, however, and has since apologised in person.

The 28-year-old also gifted Fourie a Western Province jersey before posting a photo and publicly apologising on Twitter.

"So last night i did something totally out of my character and i take all the criticisms coming my way...I apologize to everyone who i disappointed, everyone who supports me and most importantly Giovanni..." he wrote.

so last night i did something totally out of my character and i take all the criticisms coming my way...I apologize to everyone who i disappointed, everyone who supports me and most importantly Giovanni... pic.twitter.com/lW80YU92qO

— siyabonga ntubeni (@skara2ntubeni) August 25, 2019

Western Province went on to implode in spectacular fashion, losing the match 38-33 while failing to advance to the semifinals.