Smith hits out at Hamilton

Brian Smith branded Jim Hamilton "a disgrace" after the Gloucester captain and London Irish hooker David Paice were sent off during the Exiles' crushing 52-18 Aviva Premiership victory at the Madejski Stadium.

The pair saw red seven minutes into the second half after being involved in two confrontations. They were initially shown yellow cards by referee Dave Pearson after trading blows for the first time, but when they clashed again leaving the field it triggered an unseemly mass brawl near the touchline.

Exiles' director of rugby Smith said: "Jim Hamilton was the instigator and then when they were both yellow-carded Hamilton has punched David Paice twice in the head and split him open and he has a dozen stitches in his forehead, and the all-in started from there. Jim Hamilton has got a lot to answer for, it's not the 1970s."

Smith added: "What happened was there was an off-the-ball incident where Jim Hamilton pushed David Paice in the back and knocked him to the ground. When you are not expecting to be pushed in the back you get a whiplash-type effect.

"It's not on, he instigated it. David Paice went to the next ruck and cleaned Jim Hamilton out off the ball, and Jim Hamilton started throwing punches from that ruck.

"It was very disappointing, it was a blight on the game.

"Jim Hamilton was the instigator and we have David Paice possibly with concussion and a dozen stitches in his head. As a captain of the Gloucester team, Jim Hamilton's behaviour was unacceptable.

"He is a Test player but I would be surprised if he plays any Test footy this summer, because it was a disgrace what he did today."

Gloucester coach Carl Hogg was furious with his side's performance as they ended the season with a sixth-straight defeat as Mike Tindall finished his Kingsholm career on a crushing low.

"It was an embarrassing performance and at the end of a long hard season it is unacceptable," he said. "We need to go away and have a good hard look at ourselves over the summer as that was not acceptable, and I can only apologise to the supporters who came across to Reading to witness that."