Marshall came close to punching Australian coach

Justin Marshall

Veteran All Blacks halfback Justin Marshall came close to punching Australian rugby coach Eddie Jones after an international in Sydney last year, it was revealed today.

Excerpts from Marshall's book, titled Justin Marshall, and published in a Sunday newspaper today, recalled the aftermath of New Zealand's 18-23 loss.

Marshall ended the game feeling aggrieved, believing Wallabies lock Justin Harrison had deliberately eye-gouged him.

He was with All Blacks manager Darren Shand and the team's legal counsel Steve Cottrell after the match reviewing video footage of the game with a view to instigating a judicial process against Harrison.

An Australian citing official joined the three in the room and also allowed in Jones. They watched the footage, with Marshall explaining what he saw and felt.

"I felt an excruciating pain in my eye. But I could not see who did it to me. However, seeing the incident on the videotape it's clear that the player was Justin Harrison," Marshall said.

Jones disagreed and said: "Well, how do we know this is when the incident actually happened? How do we know it happened at this time?"

"And I said 'It's pretty f.....' blatantly obvious, isn't it?"

Jones responded: "Excuse me, you better watch your mouth, champ."

Marshall said he instinctively moved towards Jones and stuck his face right in front of the Australian's.

"I'm sorry. I thought you were in here just as an observer," he said to Jones.

Marshall said by now the atmosphere in the room was uncomfortable.

He was furious at Jones calling him champ, especially after Australia had just beaten the All Blacks.

"You weren't even supposed to even say anything," he continued at Jones.

Jones responded again: "You better watch what you're saying, champ."

Marshall's reaction: "For f...'s sake, this is ridiculous."

Shand then tried to move between Marshall and Jones.

"Settle down Marshy. Settle down," Shand said.

Marshall said the citing official was becoming flustered and he and Jones were still glaring at one another.

"By this stage I think Darren Shand can see the look in my eye. he can see that if Eddie keeps arguing and calling me champ I'm going to whack him one.

"And Eddie looks pretty fired up, too. So Shandy's quite keen to get me out of there."

" ... in the end I just said 'I've had enough of this' and I just left."

Forty-five minutes later Marshall learned that no action was to be taken against Harrison.

The incident was one of many in Marshall's eventful career for the All Blacks, for whom he made his 81st test appearance against the Lions in Auckland last night.

Marshall, 31, heads to England shortly to begin a two-year contract to play for Leeds and has not ruled out trying to make the All Blacks again for the 2007 World Cup.

- NZPA