Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Bryan Habana, a rugby player for the South Africa national rugby union team and the Blue Bulls, was tackled by a fan who tried to grab the Webb Ellis Cup from Habana while he was accepting the award at Newlands Stadium in Cape Town.

“[The fan] came like a bullet, flying through a crowd of people that were behind Bryan. Bryan luckily saw him and kept the trophy tight,” said Rayaan Adriaanse, a spokesman for South African Rugby who said that the man was the only “individual intent on spoiling the enjoyment of a lot of people.”

The fan can be seen coming out of the left of the screen and jumping up in an attempt to grab the trophy, which Habana was raising above his head. The trophy did fall, but was not damaged despite its lip hitting the ground.

The unnamed man was immediately apprehended by stadium officials and was given a warning. He was not arrested. He was reported as an “overexcited fan.”