A JURY took less than an hour to acquit a rugby player of assaulting an opponent during a game.

Huddersfield YMCA player Fabrizio Leone-Mazza walked free from Bradford Crown Court after the verdict.

Leone-Mazza, 26, who plays open-side flanker, was alleged to have fractured the jaw of teenager Samuel Hopton during a match between Huddersfield YMCA seconds and West Park thirds back in December 2010.

But he had always argued the injury could have happened in a ruck.

After the case, officials of the Laund Hill club welcomed the verdict.

A spokesman said: “Any incidents on a pitch should be dealt with by the Rugby Football Union’s very strict disciplinary process rather than a court. That has been our view all along and has been vindicated by the court.