Amanaki Mafi appears in court after incident with teammate

Melbourne Rebels loose forward Amanaki Mafi has appeared in Dunedin District Court after he was charged for injuring with intent to injure, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

The alleged attack - on Rebels teammate Lopeti Timani - happened in Dunedin and came after the Rebels lost 43-37 to the Highlanders on Saturday and were bounced from the playoffs.

Mafi entered no plea and was granted bail. He will reportedly return to Melbourne this week.

The terms of his bail mean he cannot associate with teammate Timani.

His case has been scheduled to return to court in August, but he won’t have to appear in person.

Rugby Australia and the Rebels confirmed in a statement Sunday night that Japanese international Mafi had been involved in an incident with Timani. It is understood no other players were involved.

New Zealand Police released a statement following the incident, and said the victim had received moderate injuries but did not need require hosptialisation.

Melbourne Rebels CEO Baden Stephenson expressed his disappointment in a statement Sunday night.

“I am bitterly disappointed that an incident has occurred at the end of a season where we have taken pride in our on and off field behaviour," the statement read.

“We will respect the process and won’t be making further comments until all investigations have taken place.”

Both Mafi and Timani are off contract after this season. Timani is set to head to France and join Top 14 side La Rochelle next season, while Japanese international Mafi has been linked with a move to the Sunwolves.

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