Ashton Booth was enjoying a celebratory night out after his debut for his new club Weston Super Mare RFC when he and another player were set upon in Weston town centre, in southern England.
Club member Matt Burns described what happened following Booth's "fantastic debut" in a pre-season game at the weekend.
"They were set upon by 6 other men and beaten down to the floor and then continually kicked and punched.
"This has resulted in Ashton being between hospitals ever since and currently awaiting an operation on his jaw which was broken and dental work as many teeth were knocked out.
"He’s in a pretty bad way unfortunately," Burns wrote in a post on a UK crowdfunding site.
Booth's family have also shared details of the incident which came just two weeks after the player "went over to live the dream and play rugby".
"He has been in hospital the past few days and has just got out of surgery (broken jaw in two places, broken cheekbone, busted ribs, broken teeth…)
"Our hearts are broken for so many reasons, and we are feeling very far away right now," they wrote in a post shared by the player's former club Dunedin Sharks.
Friends and family are now rallying around to raise money to help Booth support himself during what is expected to be a long recovery.
"I want the local community to show him that this isn’t what Weston is like and to rally around him and provide him with an income to support himself while he is recovering," his team-mate wrote.
"Even just to allow him to enjoy himself a little more in light of a terrible opening time in the UK."
The fundraiser has already raised almost $NZ17,000 on the JustGiving site.
