Rugby fan banned for life for abusing Lomu

The Llanelli Scarlets have banned a man for life from their rugby matches for shouting abuse at former All Black Jonah Lomu and challenging him to a fight.

The incident happened when Lomu, playing on the wing his Cardiff Blues team on January 2, went to the touchline to fetch the ball.

The man confronted Lomu, shouted abuse and was challenging the colossal winger to a fight before being hauled away by ground officials.

Scarlets' chief executive Stuart Gallacher told the BBC website that the man would not be welcome after his "irresponsible and unacceptably aggressive behaviour".

Simon Coddington was captured on TV verbally abusing the Blues star who is playing for Cardiff in a bid to return to top rugby.

Coddington threw the ball away from Lomu when it went out of play and then shouted abuse at him.

It emerged earlier this week that Coddington, who only moved to live near the Scarlets ground recently, was banned for six years from the Nottingham Forest football ground in 2003.

- NZPA