Samoan player learns trial date over alleged assault on Welsh players

Samoan player Gordon Langkilde appeared at pre-hearing conference on Monday over the alleged assault on three Wales players on on July 22nd at the Rugby World Cup Sevens tournament in San Francisco.

He pleaded not guilty to two charges of felony battery, one charge of felony assault and one charge of misdemeanour battery. His trial date has been set for August 15th. He faces up to four years in prison if he is convicted. The Samoan sevens player has been ordered not to leave the United States after being released from jail.

Last week the San Francisco Examiner said that the 22-year-old was also ordered to stay away from Wales Sevens players Tom Williams, Luke Morgan, and Ben Roach, who Langkilde is alleged to have assaulted.

Tom Williams suffered broken facial bones from the alleged incident.

An official statement released by San Francisco police last week said "Langkilde, a visiting rugby player (Samoa) is accused of assaulting two players of another visiting rugby team. A 26 year-old, male (Wales) sustained facial injuries and a 21 year-old, male (Wales) suffered broken facial bones. A third victim, a 24 year-old, male (Wales) sustained facial injuries during the incident.

"Langkilde was taken into custody without incident at his San Francisco hotel. While an arrest has been made, this remains an active and ongoing investigation."

The WRU has responded with their own press release and says no Welsh player is facing punishment.

"Following the match between Wales and Samoa in San Francisco, an incident took place in the stadium tunnel which has led to the Samoa Rugby Union provisionally suspending one of their players. After a medical assessment relating to the incident, Wales' Tom Williams was ruled out of action."

The unsavoury incident took place after Wales had beaten Samoa in the final moments of the match, winning the game by a "Golden Point" in extra time.