Ruggers straighten out airliner drunk

PERTH, Australia, March 25 (UPI) -- Members of a South African rugby team say they forcibly quieted an obnoxious drunk on an airline flight at the request of the crew.

Three lads from the Stormers stepped in Sunday during a flight from Sydney to a match in Perth, Australia, and gave the allegedly aggressive passenger a solid smack on the head that set him straight for the rest of the trip.

"He became extremely aggressive and abusive," team representative Frikkie Erasmus told the Cape Town Argus. "That's when one of the Stormers calmed him down with a good klap. It worked out quite well."

Erasmus said the Qantas flight crew had tried to keep the fellow under control, but called in the brawny reinforcement when that didn't work.

The passenger remained in time-out mode until the flight landed and he was arrested.