WATCH: Trent Williams punches A'Shawn Robinson during fiery 49ers vs Giants battle

San Francisco 49ers' Trent Williams got into a battle with New York Giants' A'Shawn Robinson in the game between the two NFC heavyweights on Thursday. San Francisco team was leading 17-6 going into halftime. Brock Purdy was in the victory formation when all of it kicked off.

As the quarterback took the knee, A'Shawn Robinson came in fast to try and break up the play. It was unsuccessful and a couple of 49ers players pushed him away. That could have been the end of that except Trent Williams decided to take it further by punching his opposite number's helmet.

Luckily for him, the referees ruled a foul on both sides and took no further action. But it easily could have been worse as the play could have got him ejected.

A'Shawn Robinson and Trent Williams renew previous feud

The incident left head coach Brian Daboll fuming on the New York Giants touchline. But there is a history that explains its context.

A'Shawn Robinson might be a Giants player today but he only joined them this season. Prior to this, he played from 2020 to 2022 with the Los Angeles Rams. He won a Super Bowl with the team as well.

In the course of his career there, one of his divisional rivals were the San Francisco 49ers. In the same year that he moved to the West Coast, Trent Williams also joined from the Washington franchise.

Since then, they have faced each other twice every season before the defensive player moved to New York this year.

Perhaps the referees were also briefed on this history as they made the decision regarding Trent Williams' ejection. Such a punch to the head almost always leads to the player being thrown out of the game. But they probably considered the background and that A'Shawn Robinson was not completely innocent either.

The 49ers were able to score two touchdowns through Brock Purdy's passing and Christian McCaffrey's running. Their defense limited the Giants to just two field goals heading into halftime.