Rugby player fined for clash after drunken ape act

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - An Australian court has fined rugby league player Sam Huihahau after he punched a fellow spectator while drunk at a rugby grand final in Brisbane after the man impersonated him dancing like an ape.

Huihahau, a 21-year-old winger for NRL team Canberra Raiders, was heavily intoxicated when he took off his shirt and started zig-zagging through the crowd "swinging his arms in an ape-like manner," the Australian Associated Press said quoting a police prosecutor at the Brisbane Magistrates Court on Wednesday.

Huihahau had tried to entice other spectators to join in by "violently beating his chest", but when a man aped his movements, the rugby player responded by slapping him lightly on the cheek, Sergeant Michelle Clarke told the court.

When the man responded in kind, Huihahau punched him, prompting the crowd to surge around the pair. Police had to intervene to prevent a full-scale brawl.

Huihahau was fined A$300 ($270) after pleading guilty to drunk and disorderly behaviour and to a count of removal of persons from premises, but escaped a conviction for his animal antics.

(Reporting by Ian Ransom; Editing by Peter Rutherford; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)