The canine pitch invader with its rabbity prize is grabbed by Coastal's Thomas Watt.

What do you get when a rabbit wanders in front of a dog at the rugby? Answer: A pitch invader at the Okato Domain.

The pint-sized pooch made a grand entrance during the first half at the premier club match between Coastal and Inglewood on Saturday.

Having already been threatened with a pair of size 10 boots earlier in the game, the unnamed canine looked to have disappeared through the hedge and out of trouble as the match progressed.

He wasn't gone for long. A few lineouts and a couple of scrums later the hound was back with a score of its own - a rabbit.

Although his entrance brought much hilarity around the wooden bleachers, some of the players were less impressed, including Coastal midfielder Thomas Watt who took it upon himself to rid the rugby of the two pests.

The cunning canine was not having a bone of that, however, as it gripped the furry fella tight between his teeth in defiance.

Watt won the battle, though, getting the dog off the pitch but leaving the distressed rabbit on it.

Then from out of the crowd came Taranaki flanker Berny Hall, a rural man who knew exactly how to remedy the situation. With a quick turn of his wrists the rabbit was no more as it was tossed behind the grandstand.

The battle might have been lost but the dog won the war, emerging five minutes later with the rabbit in its mouth before racing under a parked ute for a good feed.

For the record, Inglewood won the match 29-28.