Bismarck du Plessis has apologised for his behaviour during an off-the-ball scuffle with Victor Matfield at Loftus.

The Sharks hooker was penalised for an 'open hand punch' on the Vodacom Bulls lock but did not receive a yellow card.

'I am blessed to be able to play the game I love professionally and by my very competitive nature, whenever I take to the field, I play the game hard and always strive to play fairly,' said Du Plessis. 'Sometimes during heated exchanges one finds it difficult to control emotions and as a result things get said, which we are not proud of.

'What I said on Saturday, which was clearly visible especially to the youngsters watching was inappropriate and I would like to take this opportunity to apologise to everyone that I let down.

'The great thing about sport is the camaraderie shared amongst players and despite incidents that may take place on field we are still able to maintain friendships off it. I have great respect for Victor, who is a good friend of mine. We chatted about the incident on Sunday at the Springbok camp and there was no animosity between us. In fact, we had a great training session together.

'I always strive to be a good role-model for the youngsters out there and I thank our fans for their invaluable support.'

VIDEO: Bismarck du Plessis clashes with Victor Matfield

Photo: Steve Haag/Gallo Images