Speaking to The Sunday Times in 2019, Halpin said he regretted the incident.
"Bigger picture, there are worse things you can do in life," says Halpin.
"But it was a really stupid thing to do. It wasn’t a conscious thing. There was a frustration there. (Sean) Fitzpatrick is a bit of a wind-up merchant and you don’t get too many chances to stab the dragon, y’know?" he said.
"He had said a few things about us which were disrespectful, about how the Irish are always full of fire and passion to begin with, and then they run out of gas. Thing is, he was probably right!"