Jean's the face of Welsh hooliganism

A 72-year-old Sydney pensioner saved for two months to buy her ticket to the Wallabies-Wales rugby Test - only to be thrown out during the game for having too much fun.

Jean Richards was left alone and in tears outside Sydney's Telstra Stadium on Saturday night after being ejected for daring to dance with the Wallabies mascot on the arena.

The Australian Rugby Union last night moved to defuse the controversy with an offer to fly the Welsh-born fan to Brisbane for the second Test this weekend. But Telstra Stadium bosses, citing a zero-tolerance policy to all pitch intrusions, denied security officers or police over-reacted to the incident.



"I was in the front-row when the little kangaroo came along", said Mrs Richards, who paid $108 for her ticket.

"He was waving, so I waved back to him. I thought he gestured to me so I opened the gate, went out, put my hands on him and we were waving to the crowd. We were just inside the fence.

"The next thing I knew a security guy came up and touched me. I didn't like that so I dodged him, waved once more to the crowd, and jumped back in my seat."

Mrs Richards, dressed in the Welsh national costume, said police arrived moments later and told her she would have to leave.