Springbok apologises to ball boy for 'out of character' incident caught on camera

Springbok hooker Siyabonga Ntubeni has apologised to a ball boy after what he has branded as an 'out of character' incident was caught on camera.

The incident happened during a Free State Cheetahs versus Western Province match in this weekend's Currie Cup.

The Cheetahs showed true grit against Western Province to overturn a 26-12 halftime deficit for a 38-33 bonus-point victory and the top spot on the standings.

The Free Staters entered the match knowing that while a victory could earn them a home semi-final, a defeat may have seen them drop out of the top four completely, and they did not disappoint despite having to fight with everything they had at times.

The Cheetahs found themselves trailing 12-0 early in the second quarter as Western Province took advantage of their ill-discipline, but a second-half hot-streak saw them score four tries to add to their two in the first half, which earned them the win.

However it was the incident with 'Scarra' Ntubeni early in the second half that stood out on social media.

The hooker can be seen bizarrely slapping the ball out of the ball boy's hand after said ball boy attempted to give him the ball ahead of a lineout.

He was subsequently called out on Twitter for what could at best be described as an act of needless rudeness.

Ntubeni took to Twitter to make amends, writing: "So last night I did something totally out of my character and I take all the criticisms coming my way...I apologize to everyone who I disappointed, everyone who supports me and most importantly Giovanni."

With just one cap to his name, the frontrower looks like long odds to make the Springboks World Cup squad.

Ntubeni was among four players released from the Springboks last week for Currie Cup duty, indicating that is unlikely to be part of Rassie Erasmus' 31-man Rugby World Cup squad.

England Rugby press conference with manager Eddie Jones and team captain Owen Farrell ahead of their World Cup warm-up versus Ireland. The match takes place on August 24.