Kelleher slapped with suspended jail term

Ex-All Black Byron Kelleher was involved in a road rage incident in France. Photo / Getty Images

PARIS - Former All Black halfback Byron Kelleher was sentenced today to a two-month suspended jail term for drunk driving and violence in a road-rage incident that made headlines in the French press.

Kelleher, 32, was also fined 3,500 euros ($8,750).

But the court in Toulouse, southwestern France, showed clemency in ruling that the incident will not be entered on his judicial record after he pleaded guilty to the charges and showed contrition.

Two friends who were with him at the time were also given a two-month suspended term.

Kelleher issued a statement after the hearing, saying the sentence was 'fair' in the light of what had happened.

"The punishment delivered appears to me to be justified and corresponds to the seriousness with which I took this incident," he said.

"I would like to reiterate my sincere apologies to those who would have found my behaviour shocking and now wish to draw a close to the matter, turn the page and to go back to my career."

Kelleher had been drinking at a bar in Toulouse when he bumped into a Porsche with two friends aboard his Peugeot 308.

He exchanged words with the driver and then drove off.

The Porsche gave pursuit, following Kelleher to a crossroads, where a fight broke out. Two passersby intervened, and Kelleher and his friends reportedly attacked them too.

One of the passersby happened to be a boxer, who dodged Kelleher's punch and hit back, knocking him out for a few moments.

Kelleher had earlier apologised profusely for the incident, through the local newspaper, La Depeche du Midi, and through YouTube.

Police put Kelleher in an overnight cell to sober up. He was reportedly too drunk to give a breathalyser test but was treated in hospital for a fracture under the eye and for a shoulder strain.

Kelleher joined Stade Toulousain in 2007, one of France's wealthiest clubs, becoming the latest New Zealand player to beat the path to Europe after his international career appeared to have peaked. The club won the national championship in 2008/2009 season.

Kelleher played 57 matches for the All Blacks between 1999 and 2007 and has not ruled out a return for the 2011 World Cup.