Samoan legend Brian Lima has resigned as defence coach of his country’s national team after his arrest for assault on his former wife.
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The Samoa Observer newspaper said Samoa Rugby Union chairman Tuilaepa Sa’ilele Malielegaoi confirmed receiving a letter in which Lima resigned from “all active roles.”
The newspaper said Lima will appear in court on Monday to face charges of causing actual bodily harm and being armed with a dangerous weapon.
The charges follow an assault by Lima on his wife Lemalu Sina Retzlaff, former President of the Samoa Chamber of Commerce, at a local bar – who went public last month, claiming he left her with two black eyes, cuts and a badly bruised face.
Lima, a member of the International Rugby Board Hall of Fame, has 65 Test caps and is the only Samoa player to have appeared in five World Cups.