Cam Roigard named among rugby’s five most infamous ‘divers’

The All Blacks scrum-half was accused of making the most of contact during the third Test, adding his name to rugby’s long history of questionable theatrics.

From incidents condemned by referees to moments that caused outrage among supporters, here are five of rugby’s most infamous alleged dives.

Perhaps recency plays a part in this, but Roigard produced one of the most audacious attempts to dupe a referee during the third Test of Rugby's Greatest Rivalry.

Footage appeared to show the New Zealand scrum-half making contact with Cobus Reinach away from the ball before the Springbok was able to lift him and dump him towards the turf.

It is not the first time Roigard has been accused of doing something similar. The scrum-half has previously gone to ground to win a penalty, only to miraculously get back to his feet once the decision has been awarded and immediately continue with play.

On several occasions, the tactic has also allowed him to take a quick tap and catch the opposition defence off guard.

Few scrum-halves have developed quite the reputation for going to ground as Morgan Parra.

During his playing career, the former France international was regularly labelled by fans and media as one of rugby's biggest "divers", with accusations that he would exaggerate contact or throw himself into opposing forwards in an attempt to win penalties.

That reputation existed alongside his world-class kicking ability and excellent tactical awareness, but his willingness to embellish contact regularly frustrated opposing players and supporters.

One of the most memorable examples came against England in 2013. While BBC commentators described the incident as foul play by Owen Farrell, Parra appeared to exaggerate the level of contact significantly.

Sexton's fiercely competitive nature often saw him walk the fine line between gamesmanship and exaggeration.

The former Ireland captain was regularly accused of theatricalising contact, particularly when attempting to attract a referee's attention to a potential high tackle or infringement.

Fans generally viewed such incidents as part of his competitive approach, with Sexton looking to gain even the smallest possible advantage for his team.

There are numerous compilations on YouTube highlighting occasions when Sexton appeared to go down too easily, although his examples are arguably less blatant than some of those further up this list.

Bryan Habana produced one of the most infamous examples of diving during the 2014 Heineken Cup Final between Toulon and Saracens.

The incident came in the 62nd minute after the Toulon winger had executed a chip-and-chase. With minimal contact from Saracens fly-half Owen Farrell, Habana dramatically threw himself to the ground.

Referee Alain Rolland initially awarded Toulon a penalty, despite the apparent exaggeration. However, he openly acknowledged to Saracens captain Steve Borthwick over his microphone that it was "a bit of a dive".

Borthwick was visibly furious, repeatedly shouting "embarrassing" at Habana.

The South African later apologised for the incident, but it remains one of the clearest examples of diving ever seen on a rugby pitch, particularly given the referee's immediate acknowledgement of what had happened.

Stuart Hogg takes the top spot thanks to an infamous incident during Scotland's 2015 Rugby World Cup clash with South Africa.

The fullback was reprimanded by referee Nigel Owens after appearing to simulate an injury during the Pool B match at St James' Park.

After clearing the ball, Hogg went to ground following minimal contact from South African prop Tendai "The Beast" Mtawarira.

Owens was having none of it, delivering one of the most memorable warnings of the tournament:

"I was looking at it. He was committed in the air. There was nothing wrong with it. Dive like that again and come back here in two weeks and play. Not today. Watch it."