South African rugby was hit by another racist incident when a black spectator was abused and beaten up in front of his wife and children after the Falcons lost to the Platinum Leopards at Bosman Stadium in Brakpan on Friday.
Llewellyn Wingson, the chairman of the East Rand Rugby Club, told The Sunday Independent on Saturday that the incident began 10 minutes after the game when his four-year-old daughter was accidentally struck by a ball kicked from the field by the son of a spectator who had been sitting next to his family.
"The man's elder son ran onto the field and told his brother 'Just f*****g say sorry'.
"My wife told him he did not have to swear because there were children at the game, and that he should simply apologise.
"The youth, who had been drinking beer, then came rushing towards me while his father approached from the other direction, saying 'You don't swear at my son'.
"The father told me that he was a white racist and went out of his way to indicate that they were superior," said Wingson.
Though it could not be confirmed, Wingson and his friends said it appeared that the man's elder son was a Falcons player because several players were with him before the clash. The players left as soon as the fight began.
"While talking to the man, I am not sure who it was, but one of them fisted me, knocking me unconscious," Wingson said.
He was at the match with his family and two friends.
Recovering at his home in Els Park, Germiston, Wingson said he had a swollen face and was sore in parts of his body.
"They were supporters of the Falcons and we supported the Leopards, so this is where it might have started," he said.
"I am not going to lay charges since I am not sure whether it was the father or the son who threw the punch... but I certainly won't be taking my children to rugby again."
Sean Johannes, who was between Wingson and his attackers, said the attackers (including a father and son) had been drinking during the game.
He said the white men, who were supporters of the Falcons, might have been provoked during the game by Wingson and his friends because they openly supported the Leopards and made comments about the "lily-white Falcons".
A group of about nine whites surrounded Wingson and his two friends, attacking and swearing at them.
"Four guys surrounded Wingson and threw punches at him, while the others attacked his other friends," Johannes said.
"I was in the middle but was not hit."
Vivian Lottering, the chairman of the Falcons, said the incident would be investigated and action taken in line with the SA Rugby Union's code of conduct.
The incident follows the attack of Ziningi Shibambo in August at Ellis Park, in Johannesburg, during the Springboks' final Tri-Nations test against Australia.
She said three men hurled racial insults at her at half-time.
" said: 'You bloody k****r, what are you doing here? Your people have taken over the country and now you want to take over the only white sport left," Shibambo told The Star.
"He then started swearing and pushing his finger onto my forehead, telling me that we had taken over the country and had stolen his forefathers' land," she added.
The incident led rugby bosses to ask all players in the weekend's Currie Cup matches to wear jerseys with a No To Racism message on them.
The Soweto Rugby Club, a key venue for rugby's efforts to transform, withdrew its affiliation to the Gauteng Lions Rugby Union, citing continued racist abuse.
Shibambo's attackers have yet to be identified, despite a R10 000 reward.