Umaga breaks silence but no apology

The ruck that created such a rumpus is no nearer to a resolution, despite Eddie O'Sullivan confirming yesterday that Tana Umaga had finally contacted his counterpart five days after his part in the infamous double spearing of Brian O'Driscoll.

"Brian had a call, and he just kind of commiserated with him being injured, as if he had nothing to do with it, which I thought strange. He hasn't apologised which is a bit upsetting. There are two things here that Brian is upset about.

"One is that when he was lying on the ground the New Zealand captain didn't approach him to see how he was, which is a long tradition in rugby going back to the amateur days when an opposition player is injured, the captain always inquires after his well-being. That's traditional where I come from."

"To ring up and say that he was sorry that he got hurt without offering an apology I think is disappointing too. It's like kicking a ladder out from somebody and commiserating that he had an accident on a ladder. He was part of it.

"I think Brian is still upset about that, and rightly so. It can't change what happened, but in the cold light of day he could have handled that better as New Zealand captain."

O'Sullivan maintained the whole episode could have been handled better.

"Brian O'Drsicoll's tour is over and it was ended in a very bad way. We can park it there if you want. Things do happen in battle, and I accept that. The incident was not premeditated, but I think it was opportunistic, and he knew exactly what he was doing when he did.

"We'll all have our own take on it and this Lions tour will be remembered for this incident, so whatever happens from here in, this incident will colour the whole Lions tour and that's unfortunate. And even after the event I think it could have been handled a little bit better in retrospect."

All that said and done, O'Sullivan didn't envisage the fallout rumbling on into the second Test. "I don't see it as a problem."

Asked if players might start seeking retribution for perceived ills, O'Sullivan said: "No, that's not going to happen. What happened, happened. I don't think that's the way you play rugby."