A CAPTAIN at Merseyside’s best known rugby club has appeared in court charged with breaking an opponent’s jaw during an off-the-ball incident in a match.

Towering Christopher Wolfenden, 40, smashed his opponent’s face with a single punch leaving him with two metal plates holding his jaw together, Liverpool Crown Court heard.

Wolfenden, who was captaining Waterloo’s second team on September 27 2008 when the team met Chester RUFC at home, pleaded not guilty to a charge of unlawfully and maliciously inflicting grievous bodily harm on Chester forward Barry Holmes.

Robert Jansen, prosecuting, told the court: “Putting it simply this was unlawful violence on the rugby field.

“The Crown’s case is that the defendant unlawfully assaulted Barry Holmes with a single punch to the left side of Mr Holmes’ jaw.

“This resulted in a displaced fracture of his jaw which required hospital treatment, surgery, and the insertion of two metal plates to straighten his jaw.”

Mr Jansen explained that the incident happened at Waterloo’s home ground in Blundellsands during a “maul”, where a bunch of players gather together and push their opponents to try to move up the field.

He said Mr Holmes moved Wolfenden, a garage owner, from Hawthorne Avenue, Burscough, from an illegal off-side position.

“Having moved the defendant away from the maul they were detached and a few feet away.

“The Crown say it was at this point Mr Wolfenden unlawfully punched Mr Holmes with such force that he knocked him to the floor.

“The match was stopped. He was on the floor with blood seen to be coming out of his face. An ambulance was called and he was taken to Aintree Hospital.”