By Charlie Elliott
Over the weekend, Major League Rugby’s opener between Miami Sharks and Old Glory DC went viral following the strange ending to the game (more on that later).
This got us thinking, what have been the most bizarre endings to a rugby match?
Over the years, fans have seen it all and the madness isn’t reserved for periphery leagues, with the Champions Cup final making this list.
From own goals to defensive mishaps, here are five of the craziest finishes in rugby history.
Miami Sharks 29-31 Old Glory DC: Just kick to touch!
The strange ending to the Major League Rugby opener between Miami and Old Glory was the catalyst for this list, with good reason.
Miami had a 29-24 lead and the ball in possession with the clock in the red, so all they had to do was kick it into touch and the victory was theirs.
However, it would not be that simple. Substitute scrum-half Damien Morley attempted the kick but was charged down and the ball ended up in the hands of an Old Glory player around halfway.
They spread the ball wide and breezed past a very weak defensive effort from the home side to dot down.
Scoring only equalised the game, but Jason Robertson converted the kick from wide to secure the win for the DC-based team.
Gala Wanderers 33-33 Hawick Youth: Own-goal headloss
One of the only instances of an own goal in rugby ever came right at the end of a Borders Semi Junior League match in Scotland.
Gala Wanderers had just scored a try to make the score 31-33 against them, with a conversion to equalise.
As shown by the scoreline above, the conversion ended up between the posts, but the manner in which it did was truly baffling.
The kick was miles short and would have landed about five metres away from the posts, but during the Hawick celebrations, the replacement scrum-half kicked the ball before it landed and volleyed it home.
After deliberation, the referee finally awarded the conversion, and the match was declared a draw.
Biarritz 27-24 La Rochelle: Two balls on the pitch
Known by many as the craziest league in the world, the Top 14 has a very strong habit of conjuring up some madness.
In 2022, La Rochelle were leading Biarritz 24-21 when the clock struck 80 minutes.
With the hosts having a lineout five metres from the try line all La Rochelle needed to do was retrieve the ball and kick it out.
They managed to do that, but with the wrong ball.
As the lineout was thrown, a second ball thrown from the sidelines suddenly appeared amongst the chaos of the maul, which was won and kicked out by the away side, before Biarritz dotted down with the original ball which their opponents were celebrating.
Logic prevailed and the lineout was replayed, but the hosts still managed to work their magic and ended up winning regardless.
Harlequins 19-26 Montpellier: Ben Botica forgetting who he played for
Harlequins had one last chance to get the seven points needed to equalise against Montpellier in the European Challenge Cup final, so mustered up one last attack.
Except, they didn’t get to attack.
Ben Botica just decided to kick the ball into Montpellier territory once the clock hit 80 , which ended the game and Quins’ hopes of a title after the French side kicked it out.
Could it have been a case of him not realising the time? Probably. But the fact that he was set to join Montpellier after this game meant that suspicions arose of him helping out his new team.
Certainly, an interesting way to garner favour from your new fans.
Wasps 27-20 Toulouse: Rob Howley’s desire wins it
An all-timer of an end to the Heineken Cup as it was called then, Rob Howley won it at the death following a terrible defensive mistake from Clement Poitrenaud.
The ball was bouncing in the corner following a Howley grubber kick with defender Poitrenaud looking to let it run out.
Unfortunately for him and the French side, it never bounced out and it allowed the Welsh scrum-half to chase it down and get possession before dotting down.
Very poor defending at such a crucial time, this moment goes down as a strange ending to a classic match.
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