Kangaroos forward Angus Crichton apologised to Chanel Harris-Tavita over an incident that prematurely ended the Samoa utility’s farewell match and revealed that the pair are going travelling together after the World Cup Final.
Crichton was sin binned for striking Harris-Tavita with a raised forearm early in the second half and admitted he feared being sent off but asked Australian officials to front the media so he could explain his behaviour.
“I want to talk to you guys because I want to get this message across, and I want to let his family know that I am genuinely sorry. I want to let the Samoa community know that I had no malice at all,” Crichton said.
“It was just me bracing for a tackle- and it was a freak tackle. As soon as it happened, I spoke to Chanel, and it was honestly just a reaction. I didn’t know that he was coming in and I had not malice at all.”
The Sydney Roosters second-rower is considered a leading ambassador of the game and he accepted his World Cup winner’s medal draped in an Aboriginal flag given to him by Josh Addo-Carr.
“Whenever I play football, I never try to injure or hurt anyone,” Crichton said. “I know that I am a good person and I play the game the way it is meant to be played.
“I never wish anyone to be injured on the football field like that, especially knockouts. A few of my great mates in Jake Friend and Boyd Cordner had their careers ruined so I never want to injure anyone on the field.
“That was not my intention at all so anyone I have upset or anyone in his family or anyone in the Samoa community I am genuinely sorry.”
Samoa coach Matt Parish said he believed Crichton should have been sent off and Crichton admitted that he was worried referee Ashley Klein was going to take the sternest action.
“I think there was but first and foremost I was worried about him,” Crichton said. “He is a great player and we are actually meant to be travelling together so there is no bad blood between me and Chanel.
“He is great friends with Nathan Cleary, and we talked after the game. He knows it was honestly a genuine freak accident. It’s all love between me and Chanel, I spoke to him and apologised.”
For Harris-Tavita, the 30-10 loss was his last match before taking a sabbatical from the game to go travelling and his first destination is set to be with Crichton in Amsterdam.
Meninga incredibly proud
“He is a good player, and he seems like a quality player, so I am looking forward to hanging out,” Crichton said.
The incident took some of the gloss off the World Cup win for Crichton, who was one of 13 Australian players to make their Test debuts at the tournament.
However, the match ended on a positive note for Crichton when Addo-Carr draped the Aboriginal flag around his shoulders and urged him to go on stage wearing it.
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“I am such a huge believer in Australia needing to own our Indigenous history and I guess run with it, and be proud of it, because I am like that,” he said.
“Josh Addo-Carr was wearing the Indigenous flag behind me and he put it on my shoulders and said, 'you wear this up there'. That was a pretty proud moment for me.
“For him to say that to me, and for me to accept the Aboriginal flag on my shoulders …. just thinking about it now, I get emotional.”