The man became aggressive and nasty towards other passengers on a Singapore Airlines flight to New Zealand.

The cabin crew turned to the police contingent, which included one officer who specialised in airline security, Auckland's Sunday News reports.

"Really, it was about the worst flight for this guy to be an idiot on," said David Jenkins, the manager of the British police team.

"Although there wasn't much of him, it took three police officers to restrain him."

The rugby league team was heading to New Zealand for a test series against their Kiwi counterparts.

The man was met by local police when the flight landed, but no charges were laid because the pilot felt the British contingent had dealt with the incident 'effectively'.