Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Entertainment
Heather Saul

Watch Boris Johnson shoulder charge 10-year-old Japanese schoolboy to the floor during game of touch rugby

An over-zealous Boris Johnson took down a 10-year-old boy during a game of rugby in Tokyo.

Extraordinary footage shows the London Mayor charging at unsuspecting schoolboy Toki Sekiguchi during a game of touch rugby. 

Johnson appeared to have forgotten the concept of ‘touch’ rugby, where the person holding the ball is touched instead of tackled and threw himself at the child. 

Toki bravely soldiered on after being knocked over, telling reporters: “I felt a little bit of pain but it's OK.”

In October last year Johnson accidentally tripped a young boy over during a football match press photocall.

He also floored Germany's Maurizio Gaudino during a charity celebrities and legends football match between England and Germany in 2006. 

Defending his actions at the time, he told the BBC: “I'm a rugby player really and I knew I was going to get to him and when he was about two yards away I just put my head down.

“There was no malice in my actions. I was going for the ball with my head, which I understand is a legitimate move in soccer.”

Additional reporting by PA

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.