LEEDS PROP MITCH Garbutt has apologised for the punch that saw him sent off in Sunday’s World Club Challenge defeat by North Queensland Cowboys.
Garbutt was sent off nine minutes from time for punching Kangaroo front rower James Tamou to compound a crushing 38-4 loss for the Super League champions against their Australian NRL counterparts at Leeds’s Headingley headquarters.
Former Brisbane Broncos forward Garbutt, himself an Australian, was banned for two matches by England’s governing Rugby Football League on Monday.
And the 26-year-old prop publicly apologised for his conduct via the Leeds website on Tuesday.
“It was a silly thing that I did,” he said. “It’s not something that I am about, I don’t condone violence and it’s not something I want kids watching the game to see.
“Everyone that knows me knows I’m not the sort of person that does those things.
“I sought James out after the game to apologise and we sorted things out, and there were no hard feelings.
“I accepted the ban from the RFL and I’m very disappointed I won’t be out there with the boys for the next couple of weeks. I’ll be looking to move on and put it behind me.”
