TNT presenter forced to apologise to viewers after heated exchange with Leicester coach Geoff Parling

An awkward exchange between Geoff Parling and TNT Sports presenter Craig Doyle was the big talking point ahead of Saturday's Slater Cup clash between the Leicester Tigers and Gloucester.

In the build-up to this weekend's fixture at Villa Park, Doyle invited fellow rugby broadcaster Liam MacDevitt to take a conversion where Leicester were warming up.

MacDevitt was encouraged by Doyle to make the kick as part of his so-called initiation. "Usually it's a song, or you've got to down something disgusting," the latter said. "You're going to kick this ball."

MacDevitt responded by saying it could be a "debut-defining moment", although I'm sure he didn't predict what was on the horizon.

After kicking a penalty wide of the mark, the ball landed in the middle of Leicester's squad, which prompted head coach Geoff Parling to storm over to the pair for a no-nonsense chat.

Doyle tried to diffuse the situation by saying, “Would you sign him Geoff?” but moments later, Parling gave his two cents. “That’s not on," he said. "That’s f***ing not on. Get off the pitch.”

A light shove on Doyle followed, with the latter walking away from the scene. "Geoff wasn't happy about that," the presenter said sheepishly. "Apologies for the language. He was understandably upset."

Fans react to incident involving Parling and Doyle

There was certainly a mixed response from fans on social media.

Some viewers sided with Parling's no-nonsense response, while others backed Doyle and TNT, who pay PREM Rugby around £40 million a year for exclusive coverage of the competition.

One wrote: "He should probably remember he wouldn’t have a professional contract if it wasn’t for TV money and the razzmatazz (all be it nonsense) that goes with it!"

Another commented: "Miserable Geoff Parling should not be swearing anywhere near TV cameras. Unacceptable on every level. Well handled Craig," and a third said: "To be fair, that could’ve caused an injury to one of the players shouldn’t be kicking there due the warm up."

A fourth wrote: "It’s actually wild how close that was to an injury. There’s a reason you shouldn’t be kicking in that spot during warm-ups," and a fifth added: "Parling should apologise to Craig. He's a very good bloke."

Thoughts on the incident? Let us know.