Fans stormed the pitch during a provincial rugby final in the South Island, South Canterbury supporters reportedly throwing punches at the opposition players.
It came after South Canterbury scored a try with five minutes left in the match to put Whanganui out of reach of the Meads Cup.
Around 50fans, including South Canterbury’s mascot, invaded the pitch in celebration of their team’s try, but it soon turned ugly.
The fans began pulling in Whanganui players to their celebratory huddle, prompting some pushing and shoving.
Whanganui Rugby chief executive Bridget Belsham said she was not in a position to comment on what happened during the Meads Cup final.
In a statement, a New Zealand Rugby spokesperson said: “NZR is aware of the incident in today’s Heartland Championship match and are working to understand from all parties what has occurred.”
