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'Never seen that': Fans erupt over 'brutal' hit on pitch invader

sam goodwin
Sports Editor
·4-min read
The pitch invader, pictured here being absolutely smashed by a security guard.
The pitch invader was absolutely smashed by a security guard. Image: Twitter

A pitch invader was absolutely flattened by a security guard in brutal scenes during the Melbourne Rebels' clash with the Blues in Auckland on Friday night.

The Rebels were given an attacking lesson by the Super Rugby Pacific leaders, who delivered a 71-28 thrashing of the Melbourne side.

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The Blues ran in 11 tries at Eden Park on Friday night and finished just shy of their franchise record of 74 points, set back in 1998.

However there were ugly scenes late in the match when two men ran onto the filed and had to be tackled by security guards.

Footage has gone viral of the moment one of the men managed to evade one security guard before being absolutely poleaxed by another.

The man didn't see the second security guard coming and was laid out flat on his back by the huge hit.

“A streaker has just been absolutely flattened at Eden Park,” sports reporter Guy Heveldt tweeted.

“Not sure I’ve seen a hit like it. Wowee.

“The Rebels should sign the security guard. Hit of the year.”

It was the latest in a spate of streaker incidents in Australia and New Zealand in recent weeks after a man was jailed for three months after running onto the field during an NRL game between Cronulla and Wests Tigers.

A woman was also cleaned up in a heavy hit by a security guard at a Gold Coast Titans game, sparking an investigation into the level of force used.

A pitch invader, pictured here being taken from the field by security guards.
A pitch invader is taken from the field by security guards during an NRL match between the Gold Coast Titans and Parramatta Eels. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

Blues hand Melbourne Rebels a rugby lesson

The Blues scored seven tries in the first half alone to take an unassailable 47-14 lead, with All Blacks back-rower Akira Ioane terrorising the Rebels to bag a double.

And they did it all without star All Blacks playmaker Beauden Barrett, who was rested, with youngster Stephen Perofeta at 10.

While the Blues went into the match on top of the ladder with just one loss, the Rebels were in eighth place with a hopeful eye on the finals.

But that appears dead in the water with the scoreline putting a major dent in their points differential.

Melbourne's stand-in skipper Matt Philip was shattered.

The pitch invader, pictured here being taken from the field during the Melbourne Rebels' clash with the Auckland Blues.
The pitch invader is taken from the field during the Melbourne Rebels' clash with the Auckland Blues. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

In their last visit to Auckland in 2018 they left with a 20-10 victory.

"We came out with a lot of energy and I was proud of that but we weren't good enough," Philip told Stan Sport.

"I'm really disappointed because we were starting to build a lot of momentum in our season and I feel like we let a bit of that go tonight."

Melbourne crossed for two consolation tries through flanker Brad Wilkin and fullback Reece Hodge, but it was still a game they'd rather forget.

The Blues only beat the Western Force by four points last round, with skipper Dalton Papalii saying they were looking for a strong response.

"When we were in Aussie that wasn't a performance that we wanted," he said.

"We came back here and got the job done but we've still got a lot to learn - we can't start games like that so we've got to keep working to get better."

with AAP

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