A spectator who ran onto the field and disrupted proceedings in South Africa’s 23-18 win over Wales at the Principality Stadium on Saturday has been identified as a registered player who will now be banned from the venue by the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU).
British media reported that the spectator ran onto the pitch as part of a £20 bet.
With the game locked at 15-15 in the 64th minute, Wales had a one-man advantage out wide with substitute Liam Williams in a position to score when the individual disrupted the move.
He was eventually wrestled to the ground by stewards before being led away by a security team. Wales coach Wayne Pivac said he did not want to see such incidents during matches.
Principality Stadium manager Mark Williams said on Monday that they worked with South Wales Police to identify the person, who is a member of a rugby club.
“The WRU, Principality Stadium and South Wales Police condemns any behaviour of this kind, and the individual will be issued with a lifetime ban from buying any tickets from the WRU for rugby events held at Principality Stadium in future,” Williams said in a statement.
“We were deeply disappointed to discover the individual is a registered player and member of a rugby club; the WRU are currently investigating this as a Code of Conduct breach.”
Williams thanked stewards and said additional measures could be considered for future games.
“For more than 20 years this stadium has been revered across the world for its unique atmosphere and game day experience,” he added.
“It’s extremely disappointing to think that by recent events the traditional game day experience is under threat and that we might be forced to look at additional measures that will impact on the fan experience in future.”