Sale to investigate Hill incident with fan

Jonny Hill suffered a season-ending injury in January when he ruptured his patella tendon following their Champions Cup loss to La Rochelle

Sale Sharks have said they are investigating after a man claimed he was grabbed by the throat in an incident allegedly involving Jonny Hill following their Premiership semi-final defeat by Bath.

A 28-year-old man complained that he was left with a cut above his eye in the aftermath of the incident.

England forward Hill has not played since January as he recovers from injury but watched the game from the stands at the Recreation Ground.

"Sale Sharks are aware of an incident involving a player and Bath Rugby fan at the final whistle of today’s semi-final," a Sale statement said.

"The club will work with Bath Rugby to complete an investigation into the incident and will provide no further comment at this time."

The incident is said to have taken place as Hill left his seat following the final whistle of Sale's 31-23 defeat.

Replacement Niall Annett scored a 74th-minute try to seal a dramatic victory for Bath to ensure they reached their first final for nine years.

Asked about the incident, Sale boss Alex Sanderson said in his post-match press conference: "It is news to me.

"Jonny is not the aggressive type and I will answer those questions when I know.

"I can vouch for Jonny’s character. He is not an overly aggressive spiteful person."