Amanaki Mafi fined for assault on Lopeti Timani

David Skippers
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Japan number eight Amanaki Mafi has been fined NZ$50,000 but avoided a conviction after pleading guilty to assaulting ex-team-mate Lopeti Timani.

Mafi pleaded guilty to assault with intent after an altercation between the pair after the Melbourne Rebels’ final 2018 Super Rugby match left Timani with serious injuries.

The pair were out drinking after the Rebels’ 43-37 loss to the Highlanders in Dunedin and were heavily intoxicated when they went back to the house.

Mafi became angry after Timani used an offensive term to describe a female relative and challenged him to a fight.

Timani fled and hid in bushes nearby until Mafi found him, punched and kicked him and bundled him into the back of a vehicle.

Timani detailed in the wake of the incident that he feared for his life after the fight, which came after the pair went to the house of a family member of Mafi’s.

The utility forward is now plying his trade in France with Clermont after leaving the Rebels at the end of the 2018 season.

Mafi currently plays rugby in Japan and was part of the Japanese World Cup squad that made history by reaching the quarter-finals in this year’s tournament.

The number eight was excused from attending court on Tuesday and his lawyer argued against having a conviction recorded as it would likely mean his Japanese contract would be “ripped up”, something she argued was disproportionate to his crime.

The court heard while an initial mediation meeting had been refused, Mafi had written a letter of apology.

Both players were fined $15,000 by the Rebels at the time for breaching team protocol and Mafi’s $50,000 fine covers Timani’s portion of that and also his medical bills.

Melbourne Rebels