Australian rugby sevens captain James Stannard has been ruled out of the Commonwealth Games after sustaining a fractured skull after being punched by a man outside a fast-food restaurant early Friday morning.
Rugby Australia said Friday that Stannard was taken to St. Vincent's Hospital, where he is in stable condition, after being struck by another man at 3:10 a.m. It said New South Wales Police have charged a 22-year-old man over an alleged "one-punch" assault.
Rugby Australia said Stannard was with a group of teammates, along with head coach Andy Friend, at the time of the incident. It said Stannard was struck by a man in an unprovoked attack after reportedly having a conversation with him outside the fast food outlet.
Several members of the Australian men's sevens team were witness to the attack and two of Stannard's teammates, Lewis Holland and Ben O'Donnell, along with Friend, were able to detain the man shortly after the attack, until police arrived.
The team had earlier been celebrating at a farewell dinner for Friend, who did not have his contract renewed by Rugby Australia and will leave the team later this year.