Commonwealth Games: Australian rugby sevens captain out of competition after skull fractured in one-punch attack

Australian rugby sevens skipper James Stannard has been ruled out of playing at the Commonwealth Games after he suffered a fractured skull in an alleged one-punch attack in Sydney's eastern suburbs early this morning.

Rugby Australia high performance manager Ben Whitaker said the team was shocked at the incident and the fact that Stannard would no longer be leading them during the April competition.

"It would have been James' third Commonwealth Games. He's an extremely important member of our team both on the field and off the field," Mr Whitaker said.

In a statement, Rugby Australia said Stannard was struck by a man after speaking with him outside a fast-food shop in Coogee.

Police described the attack as "unprovoked" and said Stannard did not know his alleged attacker.

Several members of the Australian men's sevens team witnessed the incident and two of them, along with head coach Andy Friend, detained the man until police arrived, Rugby Australia said.

Stannard and the group, which included his teammates, team management and their family members, were out celebrating a farewell dinner for Friend at the Coogee Crowne Plaza.

New South Wales police charged a 22-year-old British man over the alleged incident, which happened outside a kebab shop on Coogee Bay Road about 3:10am.

Stannard, a Rio Olympian, was allegedly assaulted from behind and hit his head on the pavement. He is in a stable condition at St Vincent's Hospital and was conscious and talking.

Stannard was due to captain Australia at the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast, where rugby sevens matches will take place between April 13 and 15.

"He has a sore head," police inspector Steve Egbers said, adding the incident "should never have happened".

The area is a popular night spot in Sydney's eastern suburbs and police believe alcohol was a factor in the alleged incident.

The British man was taken to Maroubra Police Station and charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

He was granted bail and is expected to appear at Waverly Local Court on April 19.

 

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www.abc.net.au