It was one of the most shocking sporting moments of last year…
Minutes into the 2014 Super League Grand Final, Ben Flower of Wigan Warriors landed sickening punches on Lance Hohaia of St Helens, earning him a red card.
Saints went on to win the Grand Final, but the incident involving Flower overshadowed the game sparking a huge reaction on Twitter.
Now, Flower is close to a return following the six-month ban he received and in an interview with the Guardian, he admits to being surprised at the extent of what he did.
“I hated myself for what I did,” he said. “It’s brutal and it’s something you don’t do naturally. I’m not that person. I’ve not really watched it since then.”
The 27-year-old also admits fearing prison in the aftermath of the incident and insists that he’s very much changed his ways after having plenty of reflection time.
If Twitter is anything to go by, it appears there’s plenty of Wigan fans willing to forgive…
Well, today is the day…..
Welcome back @bennyflower #WiganWarriors #superleague #SLWigWar
— Chris Holme (@chrisholme1983) April 14, 2015
@bennyflower good luck for your game on Thursday pal, time to forgive and forget #SaintsFan
— Danny (@Danny_lanc22) April 14, 2015
Looking forward to playing Wire on Thursday as I've just realised BENNY'S BACK. Bring it on @bennyflower 👍🏻👍🏼👍🏻👍🏼
— Catherine 🦋 (@CatherineHall72) April 12, 2015
