Wales rugby international 'thrown like a rag doll' on his head right in front of referee

Wales international Josh Macleod was picked up and dropped on his head against Black Lion.

Scarlets hosted the Georgian team in the EPCR Challenge Cup on Sunday afternoon, and Dwayne Peel's side cruised to a 36-18 victory.

Black Lion's performance was marred by a red card in the 41st minute, shortly after the second half kicked off. Macleod, who has earned two caps for Wales, went for a jackal at the breakdown where the incident occurred.

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In a moment of madness, lock Lado Chachinadze picked up Macleod and dropped him straight on his head in clear view of French referee Kevin Bralley. After conversing with TMO Cedric Marchat, the pair agreed that it was worthy of the full punishment.

"He grabs him by the neck first of all," explained co-commentator Shane Williams. "It's where he throws him like a rag-doll.

"He's such a big, strong man. He almost disposes of him as if he's a bit of rubbish. The problem is the angle in which Josh Macleod lands. He's got him in the air and he lands on his head, on his neck. Right in front of the referee, there's no hiding here."

You can watch the incident below.

Scarlets suffered an embarrassing defeat at the hands of Black Lion last season, which also took place at Parc y Scarlets. Peel's side made sure there were no errors this time around, bagging their win thanks to tries from Gareth Davies, Johnny Williams, Archie Hughes and Macleod (two).

Macleod could have arguably earned more caps for Wales than the two he currently has. Injuries have hampered his Test ambitions in recent times, but he did make his debut against Georgia in 2022. Unfortunately for him, he's an openside flanker, and competing with the likes of Tommy Reffell and Jac Morgan for a place in the national squad.

After two games in the Challenge Cup, Scarlets are in joint-first behind Vannes and Edinburgh Rugby. Black Lion are one place behind Scarlets after defeating Vannes on opening weekend.