Mils Muliaina heading back to court over sexual assault charge

Mils Muliaina has signed a new playing contract with Italian rugby club Zebre. Photo / Supplied

World Cup-winning All Black Mils Muliaina is back in Cardiff Crown Court on Monday, accused of sexually assaulting a 19-year-old woman.

Muliaina is alleged to have "touched" the woman on a night out in Cardiff on March 7, hours after his former Irish side Connacht lost an away game against the Cardiff Blues.

The 100-cap former international entered no plea at Cardiff Magistrates Court on August 21, where the chairman of the bench Cristos Zakiros sent the case to the Crown Court - which deals with alleged serious offending and where verdicts are decided by a jury.

Muliaina has spent the past few weeks travelling across Europe, switching between Wales and Italy as he juggled his legal obligations in Cardiff with his new playing contract with Italian rugby club Zebre, who are based in Parma.

Zebre are set to play the Cardiff Blues in a Guinness Pro 12 clash in the Welsh capital in the early hours of tomorrow morning. Muliaina will be in Cardiff, but won't play for his new team.

A Zebre spokesman told the Herald on Sunday their star signing's debut for the club was at least four weeks off as he works to regain full fitness. A hamstring injury ended his time with Connacht.

"Mils is following an individual physical project to be well fit for our home opener on October 4 and won't be available for the first two games in Wales according to the coaching staff," a Zebre spokesman said.

"He is an active part of our team. We are hoping to have him on the field soon with our jersey. Mils arrived in Italy as scheduled two weeks ago and started training with the team straight away.

"We're not concerned [about the court action]. The club is monitoring the situation in communication with his lawyer. As there's a process still running we can't comment on the case."

Muliaina has previously denied any wrongdoing and said he would plead not guilty.