Ex-Kiwis league star guilty of assault

A former New Zealand rugby league international has pleaded guilty to assaulting a model-turned-actress he was having an affair with.

Sam Stewart, 54, was sentenced to a two-year good behaviour bond at Southport Magistrates Court on the Gold Coast on Thursday after pleading guilty to the assault charge.

The court heard Stewart and his then-mistress Erin Connor, a model who also appeared in several television shows and movies, had agreed to end their relationship at a meeting in a Broadbeach park in January 2016.

After the meeting Ms Connor ran off with Stewart's phone and some money, resulting in the former Newcastle Knights player chasing her and tackling her.

Ms Connor suffered bruising during the incident.

Stewart, who played 18 times for the Kiwis in the 1980s, admitted the force he'd used to tackle Ms Connor was excessive.

Stewart will be required to pay $2000 if he breaches the bond.