- James Stannard has been punched in an unprovoked attack at a late-night eatery
- Australian rugby sevens captain was hit at shop on Coogee Bay Road, in Sydney
- The 35-year-old is now recovering in a stable condition at St Vincent’s Hospital
- British man, 22, fled the scene but was caught under citizens arrest by witnesses
James Stannard (pictured) is in hospital after being the victim of an alleged coward punch attack
Australian rugby sevens captain James Stannard is in hospital after being the victim of an alleged coward punch attack at a late-night Sydney eatery.
Stannard was knocked to the floor in the alleged unprovoked attack at a kebab shop on Coogee Bay Road, in the eastern suburb of Coogee, at 3.10am on Friday.
The 35-year-old was recently picked as to captain his country at the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast next month.
He is currently conscious and in a stable condition at St Vincent’s Hospital.
A British backpacker who allegedly punched Stannard in an unprovoked attack fled the scene before being caught by witnesses.
The 22-year-old was held under citizens arrest until police arrived. He is charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
He has been granted strict conditional bail and is expected to appear at Waverley Local Court on Thursday, April 19.
Stannard was knocked to the floor in the alleged unprovoked attack at a kebab shop on Coogee Bay Road, in the eastern suburb of Coogee, at 3.10am on Friday
Stannard, a father-of-two, represented Australia at the Rio Olympics and the last two Commonwealth Games.
The birth of his twin girls ten weeks premature in 2014 was a tough time for he and wife Kym.
‘I didn’t think about rugby at all for about five days,’ Stannard said at the time.
‘It wasn’t a priority for me at that stage. The (Australian Sevens) guys were great. They said come back when you need to.’
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