Australian men's rugby sevens captain James Stannard has been hospitalised after he was knocked unconscious following an alleged one-punch attack.
Stannard has suffered a fractured skull but is currently in a stable condition at St Vincent's Hospital.
The incident occurred on Coogee Bay Road outside a kebab shop at about 3:10am on Friday morning.
A 22-year-old man who allegedly punched Stannard in an unprovoked attack fled the scene but was later caught by other witnesses who held him until police arrived.
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They included Stannard's coach Andy Friend as well as teammates Lewis Holland and Ben O'Donnell.
The Rugby sevens star was immediately rushed to hospital following the attack after he was punched in the head and fell backwards, striking his head on the pavement.
The 22-year-old offender was later taken to Maroubra Police Station and charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
The British national was granted strict conditional bail and is expected to appear at Waverley Local Court on April 19.
Rugby Australia released a statement on Friday afternoon, saying they were notified of an incident that resulted in Stannard being hospitalised.
They are now working with New South Wales Police to investigate the matter and will provide a further update later today.
Stannard only took over the Australian sevens captaincy in recent weeks following the injury to regular captain Holland, who will miss the Commonwealth Games.
The 35-year-old playmaker has been a mainstay of the Australian sevens team and has been a major cog in their recent success.
He was awarded the Australian sevens player of the year award in 2010 and has featured previously in the Super Rugby competition with the Western Force and the Brumbies.
The Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast begins on April 4 with the Sevens competition - one of the last events on the calendar beginning on April 13.
