"MMA fight" - Paul O'Connell fight named the Six Nations best ever bust-up

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Hell, even the players involved seem to enjoy it. They certainly didn't hesitate to get stuck in.

So here's a roundup of the best on-pitch fights of the Six Nations era. Enjoy.

Referee shows two players, Italy's Michele Rizzo & France's Rabah Slimani, red cards for foul play as France takes on Italy in the 2nd round clash of the RBS 6 Nations Championship from the Stade de France.

Referee Jerome Garces had initially stopped the game for a penalty against England because Dylan Hartley had been caught offside.

But fly-half Owen Farrell appeared unhappy with something Wales scrum-half Gareth Davies had said and the two clashed on the ground, triggering a fight that included almost every player on the field.

Scotland recorded a famous 25-13 win over England when the match eventually got underway but the rivalry had boiled over even before kick-off.

As both sides exited the pitch from their warm-up session, players from both sides got involved in a scuffle at the entrance to the tunnel, with the BBC reporting that both Owen Farrell and Scotland captain John Barclay had been involved before the teams were separated.

Tempers flare during the 1st half of the Ireland v England rugby clash, which took place at The Aviva Stadium on Sunday, February 10th 2013 in the RBS 6 Nations Championship. England won the clash 12-6.

One fan wrote: "

Paul O'Connell unleashes the beast within & unloads the ground and pound on Wales' Robert Sidoli. The nearest thing you will see to UFC on a rugby pitch.

Reacting to the incident, O'Connell wrote: "They shook hands. That's enough. Respect to Paul O'Connell to instigate the handshake, also respect to Sidoli for accepting it."

A second commented: "Good refereeing and good bit of sportsmanship from Sidoli "it's ok, we've sorted it"."

Another wrote: "“Nothing was seeing then by us...” Brilliant officiating and putting the fans first. Bravo"