A rugby league match descended into chaos when Widnes Vikings player Patrick Ah Van produced one of the most hard-hitting hits you will see.
The clip has resurfaced on social media, with Instagram account Sky Rugby claiming it is "hands down" the most watched rugby video on Instagram. The page also claims to have over 300 million views of the incident across their social channels.
The hit was made in a match between Widnes and Wakefield Wildcats. Wakefield's Ashley Gibson had the ball in hand and decided to run it straight down the right flank, despite there being support on the outside.
Unfortunately, Gibson found himself in Ah Van's channel, and was hit with jaw-dropping force, which prompted a cacophony of "Oooh's" from the crowd. The Vikings man drove Gibson into the ground and appeared to lift him above the horizontal.
A sea of Wakefield white flooded the the scene, with Ah Van in their sights. A huge brawl ensued between players as the culprit was shoved to the ground. Ah Van was sin binned as Gibson was helped from the field "in a daze" as The Sydney Morning Herald wrote. The brawl was cut out of the Instagram clip.
When Ah Van returned to the field, he was caught high by a Wildcats hooker Scott Moore, in what appeared to be a response to what happened earlier. Another massive brawl kicked off with everyone in the mix and two opposing players dragging one another across the deck in the midst of the pandemonium.
Wakefield went on to win the game 18-16, with three players being sin binned and two sent off.
Winger Ah Van was given a five match ban for a 'dangerous throw'. Wildcats' Moore, who got the revenge hit, was handed a two match ban. Gibson had severe damage to his shoulder and bicep, and was ruled out for four months, requiring an operation to fix it.
For some viewers, it was their first time seeing this horrific hit.
"Biggest hit," said one.
"His shoulder's gone after that one," said another.
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