It was the sound of French rugby players sniggering that tipped off Welsh captain Sam Warburton that something was up on his flight from Auckland to Brisbane.
As if becoming the first Wales player to be sent off at a Rugby World Cup in 24 years was not enough, Warburton found himself seated for three hours next to French winger Vincent Clerc, the man he was found guilty of tip-tackling in the semi-final - a decision that may have cost Wales a finals berth.
"It was unbelievable. There must have been 10 flights out of Auckland that day but not only was I on the same plane as the French boys, but I was next to him,'' Warburton told The Independent newspaper.
"I was one of the last on to the plane and as I threw my bag into the overhead locker some of the French lads were sniggering because they could see what was happening.
"Vincent and I just looked at each other for a second and I thought, 'This could be really awkward'. But we shook hands and he asked me for a massage, which really broke the ice. That was the only time we mentioned the tackle. We just chatted about stuff in general, he's a good guy."
Match referee Alain Rolland was heavily criticised for his decision to red-card Warburton in the 18th minute of the match - the defining moment of Wales' campaign.
An underwhelming French team went on to win the match by one point against the 14-strong Welsh side.
But Warburton said he agreed with Rolland's ruling.
"... If I'm being honest I had never thought about the spear tackle rules. I didn't really know what they were because I never thought I would be in that situation ... but when I looked at the rule book and went to the hearing I realised it was a red-card offence and I couldn't complain."
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