Craig Mitchell: Shame of my ‘Lions’ punch-up

Craig Mitchell has spoken candidly about the horrific long-haul flight home from Australia in June when he feared his rugby career might be over.
The Exeter and Wales’ tighthead had laid out a man – lawyer Cian Barry – during a booze-fuelled melee in a Brisbane bar following the first Lions Test match and subsequently spent time in custody before being sentenced in an Australian court.
Mitchell pleaded guilty to aggravated assault occasioning bodily harm and was fined, ordered to pay compensation and handed a six-month suspended jail term. He then faced a 30-hour trek back to England with his future on the line.
“It was one of the worst weeks of my life,” Mitchell, 27, told The Rugby Paper. “It’s a long flight back from Australia and I had lots of time to think about things. I wasn’t sure what might happen with Exeter and Wales and it was a very lonely place to be.
“I’d had the support of my family and friends and spoken to (Exeter boss) Rob Baxter and the Rugby Players’ Association (RPA), but I still had a long period to reflect on my actions and it was a horrific time, but it was something I had to stand up and face.
“It all happened suddenly after the first Test, when emotions were high after the Lions had won. Everything happened so quickly and things just exploded around me. I regret getting involved but it’s done and I’ve just got to try and put it behind me.
“You can’t go punching somebody and get away with it. Looking back, I think, ‘why did I get involved’, because there was just no need. And that’s the message I want to send to youngsters now: there’s so much to lose by getting involved.”
Fortunately for Mitchell, Exeter took a mature view. Although hugely disappointed by the player’s actions, his heartfelt remorse was taken into account and, after reviewing all the available evidence, Mitchell was handed a reprieve.
He said: “Luckily, Rob Baxter is a level-headed guy and he talked me through things, reviewed the footage with Tony Rowe, the chief executive, and explained what they had to do. I was dealt with and warned, but it could have been much worse.”
Determined to turn a negative stain on his reputation into a positive, Mitchell’s desire to make amends resulted in him attending the RPA’s annual academy induction day in Loughborough last week to address the Premiership’s latest batch of recruits.
He explained: “The RPA helped me out with what went on over the summer so I thought I’d repay that by helping to send the message out to youngsters that, as a sportsperson, there are consequences to getting involved outside rugby. They were all in the 18-20 age group and I told them how I’d been through one of the worst experiences of my life.
“I’ve got a criminal record now, which is not good for me, so I wanted to explain why they shouldn’t get into scuffles.”
Mitchell’s main aim now is to re-establish his reputation on the pitch with Exeter, while hoping to impress sufficiently to remain involved with Wales, for whom he has amassed 15 caps since making his debut against Canada in 2009.
“It’s been a good pre-season and we had a decent run-out against the Scarlets last week, which went pretty well with a win,” Mitchell added.
“The new boys have settled in well and we’re looking pretty sharp. The boys have put a lot of hard work in and we’re looking forward to the season now. There’s huge competition for places ahead of our opener against Northampton.
“I haven’t spoken to Warren Gatland or Shaun Edwards about Wales yet, I’m just going to keep my head down and work hard on my rugby.
“If things come from that, they come. I’ve always loved playing for Wales and would never turn them down, so if things go my way I’ll take it.
“At the moment, though, it’s all about Chiefs. They’re a good set of boys, like family in many ways, and I want to kick-start the season with some wins.
“After the summer I’ve had, I just want to move on.”
NEALE HARVEY