Watch: Remarkable show of honesty from Jimmy Gopperth

Fair play to veteran Wasps playmaker Jimmy Gopperth. In this Gallagher Premiership showdown with Bristol Bears, the New Zealander did something you rarely see.

When it would have been possible to keep quiet and let the match officials agonise over whether a try was scored or not, the Wasp told referee Karl Dickson that Bristol had indeed grounded the ball to score a try and got things moving along.

As Ben Kay says in commentary here at the time, the ref will “definitely want to check it, it just depends on his on-field decision,” as Bears lock Joe Joyce lies on the ground hoping he is rewarded a score. “It’s down now, so he’ll say he’s got a grounding…”

But then Dickson blows his whistle to give the score, adding, “Thank you Jimmy, for your honesty.”

As Kay reacts: “Jimmy Gopperth just said, ‘It was scored, ref, you don’t need to go to the TMO.'”

In response, lead commentator Alastair Eykyn says: “well, what about that…”

Related content: Jimmy Gopperth: the classy Kiwi at Wasps

Bristol went on to win the match 37-20, netting a try bonus point and getting one over Wasps for the first time in nearly 15 years.

However, as you can imagine, there was a lot of love for Kiwi star Gopperth after this one.

As veteran wing Matt Banahan tweeted, “Best piece of sportsmanship I have seen in any sport for a long time, world class.” While the opponents on the night Bristol said on social media: “That’s why Jimmy Gopperth is (GOAT – Greatest Of All Time) material.”

Rugby fans all over will appreciate the gesture from the Wasps player.

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