WATCH: Angry rugby league player knocks out ref cold!

We all know rugby is a physical game.

But what happened to French referee Benjamin Casty simply, to paraphrase a cliche, wasn’t rugby.

Casty, whose brother Remi is a reasonably well-known rugby league player, was knocked out cold by a player during a semifinal of France’s rugby league junior cup between Saint-Esteve and Toulouse.

The unidentified Saint-Esteve had just been sin binned for a professional foul when he walked up to Casty and hit him with a nasty right hook.

He thew punches at some opposition players too, who tried to calm him down.

The player clearly has a problem with Christian Cozza, president of Saint-Esteve, confirming that he had already served a four-match ban earlier in the season.

Cozza was so embarrassed by the player’s conduct that he’s subsequently resigned from his post.

Casty was taken to a nearby hospital and apparently managed to avoid a broken jaw.

For more sport your way, follow The Citizen on Facebook and Twitter.