Referee smashed in wild rugby brawl

A referee in a European club rugby match was smashed to the ground and almost trampled after being caught up in a massive brawl.

Springbok hooker Bismarck du Plessis was at the centre of the mayhem during Montpellier's game against the Glasgow Warriors in the European Champions Cup.

The chaos came in the final minute of Montpellier's 36-26 triumph, when players from both sides began pushing and shoving one another after an off-the-ball incident.

Referee JP Doyle raced in to try and separate the teams but as he did so, more players poured in to get involved.

All of a sudden the heated exchange turned into an impromptu maul as the scrum of players hurtled towards the sideline at speed.

Doyle was unceremoniously knocked to the ground and almost trampled over by the pack of warring players but appeared fine once the dust had settled.

Du Plessis and Glasgow's Ruaridh Jackson were both handed yellow cards for their part in the fracas - meaning both missed the final moments of the match.