Pitch invader at Wales-South Africa rugby game to be issued life ban

08 Nov 2021, 20:10 · Japan Today

CARDIFF, Wales — The man who invaded the pitch during the Wales-South Africa match on Saturday will be banned from rugby events at Principality Stadium for life.

The unnamed intruder caused an uproar late in the match when he got in the way of a Wales attack. Liam Williams had to run between the prone man and a stadium steward with the tryline in sight but was taken out by the Springboks defense. Wales coach Wayne Pivac doubted whether Williams would have scored. Wales lost 23-18.

“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,” stadium manager Mark Williams said in a statement on Monday.

“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."

It was the second invader in consecutive matches at the stadium. The previous Saturday, a man in a New Zealand kit managed to line up with the All Blacks for the anthems. The same man, in Japan kit, joined the Japan team for the anthems before the match against Ireland last Saturday at Lansdowne Road.

Williams, in charge of Principality Stadium, said they will be reconsidering security.

“For more than 20 years,” he said, “this stadium has been revered across the world for its unique atmosphere and game day experience. 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.”