Australian rugby sevens captain James Stannard discharged from hospital following kebab shop incident

Australia’s Commonwealth Games rugby sevens captain James Stannard has been discharged from hospital – two days after allegedly being assaulted by a British backpacker.

Stannard needed emergency treatment after being taken to hospital following the alleged assault outside a Sydney kebab shop in the early hours of Friday morning.

Police said two men had been talking outside the shop in the coastal Coogee suburb when one allegedly punched the other in the head without provocation, flooring him with a single blow.

Sam Oliver, who is reportedly from Newcastle and had been backpacking in Australia, has been ordered to appear in court charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm on April 19.

Stannard, 35, who has been ruled out of the coming competition, left hospital on Sunday morning but is still suffering from dizziness.

He was expected to speak to police on Sunday afternoon and the media on Monday.

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Ben Whitaker, a general manager at Australian rugby’s governing body, said Stannard was an “extremely important” member of the squad and they had been left “shocked” by the incident.

The captain, team mates Lewis Holland and Ben O’Donnell and coach Andy Friend had been out for dinner before the alleged attack, he told media on Friday.

In the aftermath of the alleged attack, the trio chased down his assailant and held him until police arrived.

“They did what they had to do, such an unfortunate incident and something they had to do due to the state James was in,” Whitaker said.