Ex-Bok prop arrested
14 Nov 2012
Robbie Kempson was arrested and released on bail following an off-the-ball incident between the Springbok Legends and the USA at the World Rugby Classic in Bermuda.
USA team manager Tim Kluempers told rugby-talk.com that Kempson, who currently heads up the EP Kings Academy, ran into Leif Gibson from behind when his back was turned.
According to Bermuda sports website, islandstats.com, Gibson was attended to by medical staff, brought to his feet and taken to the sideline where he was later placed on a backboard. He was then put into a neck brace and taken to hospital.
Following an official complaint by the USA team Kempson was arrested for assault.
Kluempers said the decision to involve the police had been Gibson’s as the player said ‘if it happened in the course of play, in a tackle or ruck, that’s understandable. It’s the risk we take. When it was in off-the-ball play, that was not necessary.’
Gibson, fortunately, is walking again.
Kempson, speaking to royalgazette.com, said he’d been released on bail while a senior prosecutor reviews the case file. He will not participate in the rest of the tournament.
‘The incident that happened was in the general course of a rugby game. I don’t think it should have gone as far as it has,’ said Kempson. ‘I feel absolutely terrible [about the injury to Gibson]. It’s an absolute tragedy. Unfortunately it’s a contact sport and injuries do happen. I have had a back fusion myself and three neck operations so I understand what the player is feeling. It’s a terrible incident that happened and I feel absolutely shattered about it. Hopefully he’s doing better and will be fine when he gets back to the United States.’
44 Comments
14 Nov 2012, 14:27 pm
Dragon rugby thug. He must’ve learnt his rugby in NZ…
14 Nov 2012, 14:28 pm
Why do I recall Kempson being involved in a similar incident against Australia, back in the day? And did Corne Krige not label him as the “dirtiest player I ever played with”? Could be mistaken on both counts though. But shouldering someone from behind is both cowardly and can cause serious damage.
14 Nov 2012, 15:10 pm
I will never forget his knock-out blow to Richard Hill at Twickers. That was beautiful.
This? Not so beautiful.
14 Nov 2012, 15:23 pm
Bakkies, wherefor art thou, Bakkies?
14 Nov 2012, 15:54 pm
And that, gentlemen, is why the USA suck at rugby. Harden the **** up!
14 Nov 2012, 15:55 pm
What a ridiculous thing to do. Arrest someone for something that happened on a rugby field.
Utterly proposterous.
14 Nov 2012, 15:56 pm
@Tacitus-6:
Pun not intended. Preposterous
14 Nov 2012, 15:57 pm
What is this world coming to.
14 Nov 2012, 15:57 pm
@RAI8-5: Hold the phone, Boet, I’ll have you know they are, afterall, the current Olympic champions!
14 Nov 2012, 15:59 pm
Keo in his recent rambling article implied that Frik du Preez and compatriots are only seen as tougher than modern day players because of the nostalgia and hero worship that creeps into father to son tales of the past.
Bullsh*t. The above article shows why Frik and co really were tougher than today’s pansies.
14 Nov 2012, 16:17 pm
Arrested !!!!!!! Only in America
14 Nov 2012, 17:05 pm
Scumbag
14 Nov 2012, 17:39 pm
C’mon, he’s being lynched by the mob on an article that appeared in the Bermuda sports website?
Has anyone actually seen the incident?
Arrested for an incident on a rugby pitch by the country that would arrest a homeowner if a burglar slips on a skateboard will trying to steal him blind.
14 Nov 2012, 18:06 pm
@RAI8-5: Hahahahaha.
@BrumbiesBoy-9: Ja thats in swimming, badminton, fencing, sprinting and such poofter sports.
What does the Olympics have to do with anything ?
The Brumbies are such a lucky team to have fans like you
14 Nov 2012, 18:41 pm
@bokfan1-14:
1924 only USA and France competed
That was the last time rugby featured, so as it stands, they are the current Olympic champions, go figure
14 Nov 2012, 19:10 pm
@bokfan1-14: Hullo, they’re the current Olympic rugby champions, brightspark!
And if you are the Boks’ “No 1 fan” I’d hate to try speak to those further down the list.
Back tomorrow.
14 Nov 2012, 21:09 pm
@Finfan-1:
Why would you think that?
@BrumbiesBoy-16:
hahaha
14 Nov 2012, 21:13 pm
@RAI8-5:
And this is why the South Africans have this rep.
Once a bok always a bok
14 Nov 2012, 21:18 pm
@Tacitus-6:
Absolutely correct…..way over the top….beginning to ask myself if the Yanks have the culture and respect needed to accept, what happens on the field,stays on the field…..very disappointed that the police were brought in.
15 Nov 2012, 01:16 am
Bermuda is not in the United States.
It’s a British Overseas Territory.
And it’s great to see the authorities get involved when a dirty chicken **** assaults another player from behind.
Just cos you assault someone on a rugby pitch doesn’t make it acceptable. Plenty of players need to learn that.
15 Nov 2012, 01:35 am
@ultra vires-20:
Don’t care if Bermuda is Pom or Yank territory…….it was the Yanks who put in the complaint and the Yank player, Gibson who wanted Kempson arrested.
Don’t condone violence or assaulting one another, but calling in the police to arrest a player seems to be taking it way too far.
15 Nov 2012, 03:54 am
@ultra vires-20: yeah Bermuda is British.
@Tacitus-6: Where do you draw the line, eye-gouging? spear-tackling resulting in paralysis?
Participating on the field of play does not give one carte blanche to do to others whatever one pleases, particularly when it’s against the laws of the very game they’re playing.
Having said that, running into someone from behind on the rugby pitch does not seem like the most heinous of offences.
15 Nov 2012, 03:54 am
@ultra vires-20: a few on here still think the cowardly king hit on Dalton during the cavaliers tour is one of the greatest things theyve seen on a rugby field.. (yep, talking about you HG)..
i also see Bakkies has not commented on this thread? do you think thuggery is coached into SA players, like cheating apparently is to kiwi players?
love this article, it makes bakkies constant assertions seem redundant, but then, hes always turned a blind eye to his own teams/players indiscretions..
that SA rugby “thug” rep is only further enhanced by this cowards actions..
15 Nov 2012, 05:01 am
Dirt got into Kempson’s DNA.
15 Nov 2012, 05:58 am
Really?!?!? It’s Robbie FknKempson!!! The guy can barely work himself up in to a brisk walk Ffssakes!!!! And we all know these geriatrics suffer from brittle bone syndrome!!! And by the sounds of It the guy had a lammie. Hardly something to get arrested for!!!!! If that’s the case then why not just have the police review footage of every team sport and pull players off the pitch for foul play and throw them before the mercy of the courts. Heaven forbids a Saffa stamps on precious (insert name here) and we will have people calling for the death penalty. Way ott and fknridiculous.
15 Nov 2012, 06:00 am
Really?!?!? It’s Robbie Kempson!!! The guy can barely work himself up in to a brisk walk ffffffsskes!!!! And we all know these geriatrics suffer from brittle bone syndrome!!! And by the sounds of It the guy had a lammie. Hardly something to get arrested for!!!!! If that’s the case then why not just have the police review footage of every team sport and pull players off the pitch for foul play and throw them before the mercy of the courts. Heaven forbids a Saffa stamps on precious (insert name here) and we will have people calling for the death penalty. Way ott and ffff ridiculous.
15 Nov 2012, 06:36 am
@Treehugger-11:
No Tree Lady………………………………………….Bermuda.
15 Nov 2012, 06:38 am
@ultra vires-20:
I agree fully ultra.
15 Nov 2012, 07:20 am
20. & 28. Clearly you two muppets have never played a professional sport. Surely you know that when it comes to criminal charges the onus is on the state to prove criminal intent. This all goes out the window during a sport which is why this is such a joke. If it was up to you, I’m sure senna, Prost, Mansel, schimacher and most Of these F1 drivers would be in prison now for what they have done on the race track. Ice hockey would not be a sport and Zidane would still be locked up in a prison somewhere for his headbutt on Materazzi.
Bloody joke.
15 Nov 2012, 07:47 am
@Tacitus-6: So you think Ben Zimri should be a free man, Tac?
15 Nov 2012, 07:56 am
@Golden Boy-29:
“the onus is on the state to prove criminal intent.”
I haven’t seen the alleged assault,
but this is how it reads.
Robbie leaves the area of play, seeks out Gibson,
and then charges into his back, all 126.3 kilos of him
“Criminal intent”. Good enough for me.
This is Old Timers Classic Rugby………………………………………Not domestic CC.
15 Nov 2012, 08:00 am
@Golden Boy-29: Thats actually not true.
Any criminal act is punishable, what happens on the field of play being no exception. All it needs to do is adhere to the general principles of criminal liability:
(1) Conduct – either an act or omission
(2)Compliance with the defining elements
(3)Unlawfullness
(4) Culpability
The argument you are trying to make is that the element of unlawfullness is missing, offering consent as a justification. In sport consent however only covers actions within the rules of the said sport, anything outside of it opens you up for possible criminal liability. Thus: A punch in rugby would constitute assault, not so in boxing.
Not having seen the Kempson-incident I can not really comment. The mere fact that it happened on the field of play does not exclude possible criminal liability, though.
15 Nov 2012, 08:10 am
@BrumbiesBoy-4:
dirty play is dirty play, Brumbie
he should be rightly punished end off, but i would think rather through the juducial processes in rugby first before going so far as to have someone arrested.
seems a little ott especially considering the injuries he sustained are not serious.
.
15 Nov 2012, 09:04 am
Kempson is lucky. Rougerie successfully sued Phil Greening for a dangerous handoff.
15 Nov 2012, 09:11 am
@cane-31:
No Cane, this happened DURING THE MATCH ON THE FIELD OF PLAY. “During the match, American flyhalf Leif Gibson, 34, sustained a back injury after Kempson allegedly ran into him from behind”
(http://sport.iafrica.com/news/827541.html)
And honestly, being run in to from behind!?!?!?!?!!? This happens in every dammn game I have watched all season long whereby opposition players are barged, charged or obstructed by the defending players. This frankly is a non issue.
@Taahirah-32:
Thanks for clearing it up. My point was that any sportsman will try and get one over his opponent. In rugby a shoulder charge and a rake across the back is seen as permissible within the criminal law. Meaning that although it is in breach of the sporting codes laws, it is not in fact a criminal act.
If this had happened after the game then definitely he should be charged with assault. But the fact that this happened during a game means that he should be sanctioned by the relevant sporting body, and NOT the legal system.
15 Nov 2012, 09:41 am
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-33: My biggest gripe was, is & always will be that when a guilty player gets off “scot-free” or too lightly, it’s sending the wrong message to the kids watching the game.
They then reckon that this is the way to play and that’s wrong.
“Play hard, but play fair.”
15 Nov 2012, 10:02 am
I cannot agree with some of these sentiments. If Kempson ran into a player (probably after the whistle) and shoulder charges him in the back, causing possible permanent spinal injuries. How is that in the spirit of the game? This is “Old Boys” rugby, but seems like unfit thuggery. The US player is now on his way home in a neckbrace, his tournament is over. What recourse did he have? A disciplinary hearing and a two week ban for a retired player! I back The Boks always (even retired ones) but with the limited info we have, this seems like an act of cowardice which could have seriously injured another player.
15 Nov 2012, 10:16 am
@Loki-37:
The argument is not whether it was an act of cowardice (I think we can safely agree that it was), but whether it is a criminal offence to barge a player in the back while playing a game of rugby. If that is the case then we may as well stop playing rugby, football, hockey, or chess because all ‘off the ball’ indiscretions will get you in jail.
And please don’t fall for the spin that he has serious spinal injuries because he got up and walked off the field of play with the assistance of medical staff who attended to him. If he indeed sustained serious spinal injuries, he should be suing the medics who did not follow proper protocols when dealing with these kind of injuries.
15 Nov 2012, 10:37 am
@cane-31:
‘This is Old Timers Classic Rugby………………………………………Not domestic CC’
Really? Where did that pearler come from? Read the link I sent you, seems it happens in New Zealand as well. Hey, you started it. I’m simply ‘returning serve’
‘Just last month Uenuku Porena Peita appeared in Taranga District Court, New Zealand, and pleaded guilty to assaulting Bay of Plenty player Simon Chisolm. Chisolm was knocked out during a premier grade match in July and spent two days in hospital with bruising to the brain.’ – but then again you knew this already.
Now before you accuse me of being anti AB, how about this for a gem.
‘After biting Sean Fitzpatrick’s ear: “For an 18-month suspension, I feel I probably should have torn it off. Then at least I could say, ‘Look, I’ve returned to South Africa with the guy’s ear.’” – Johan le Roux – now this chop needed some serious jail time.
Now compare these two incidents to a barge in the back…
15 Nov 2012, 10:41 am
OK, so if I headbutt you in the face, while playing a game of rugby. Breaking your nose and snapping off your front teeth (or you do that to me hypothetically), you believe no criminal case applies. Only rugby justice eg. 4 week ban would apply? My point is that if your actions result in permanent injury (off the ball illegal actions apply) then surely you have a case to answer.
And the guy is on his way back to US in a neck-brace for further assessment in States. How can you just presume it is “spin”?
Anyhow, I am all for the ethos and the spiriti and what happens on the field stays on the field, but that should not be seen as immunity.
My two cents GB. Have a good one.
15 Nov 2012, 11:32 am
@Loki-37:
Excellent Post Loki.
Nail………..head…………Bang.
15 Nov 2012, 11:34 am
@Loki-40:
Go to my link at post 35 and read 38 to see my point. Surely an off the ball barge to the back of a player is not a criminal offence. Yes, in this case he got injured which is unfortunate, but it happens in every game of rugby and football and other contact sports. How about Zidane’s headbutt in the WC final? Elbows to the face in football? For those type of incidents the sporting laws are more than adequate and a criminal case does not need to be filed IMO.
As for the player being in a brace. Any doctor will tell you that you do more injury to the spine if you do not treat it immediately in situ. The fact that the medics allowed the player to get up and walk off the field means that they:
a: Assessed him on the field and did not see any possible serious injuries, therefore saw no need to stabilize him as is required by their own guidelines (therefore I see it as media spin.)
or
b: They failed in their duties as medical practitioners and therefore should be held accountable for any damage to his spine seeing that they are trained professionals who should have known that any suspected head or spinal injury should be stabilized without moving the patient.
The fact that he is flying home with a brace could be to prevent putting excessive pressure on his spine while flying due to pressure changes or due to him having to sit upright for an extended period. I have had to do it myself a few times (and this only for suspected whiplash) therefore the brace means nothing.
Anyway, nice debating with an intelligent poster. Cheers mate.
15 Nov 2012, 11:39 am
@Loki-40:
As for your headbutt analogy. Exactly, you should be punished in accordance with the governing bodies rules. a headbutt is a headbutt. At the end of the day it serves the same purpose whether it causes permanent damage or not is neither here nor there. However, you could sue the player in a civil suit for medical costs etc.
15 Nov 2012, 11:41 am
@Golden Boy-39:
exactly
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