A Chiefs rugby jersey was at the centre of a robbery case in Australia

A former Waikato man who took a teenager's Chiefs rugby jersey at knifepoint because he believed he had no right to be wearing it has been jailed in Australia for three years.

Adam Paul was sentenced in the County Court of Victoria in December 2015 after pleading guilty to robbing 17-year-old Jackson Jensen in Melbourne in March.

The judge found that Jensen had been at the gym and was wearing a Chiefs jersey when he walked to catch a bus.

Paul stopped him and asked him where he was from.

"Upon learning that he was from Christchurch, you criticised him for wearing the rugby jersey and told him you had a right to it as you were from Waikato," the judge said in her sentencing.

"You swore at him and said you wanted to fight him."

Jensen boarded a bus, and Paul followed, telling him to take the jersey off or he would "bash" him.

"You pointed to the handle of a knife tucked into your waistband ... and ordered him to take off the jersey, 'or it's your life'," the judge said.

Jensen removed the jersey and gave it to Paul, who was later found by police sitting on a bench outside a train station with the jersey next to him.

According to Paul's Facebook page, he attended Ngaruawahia High School and "likes" the Chiefs and All Blacks, as well as the Melbourne Storm and New Zealand Warriors.

According to Jensen's Facebook page, he studied photography at high school in Australia and wants to become a professional body builder.

In a victim impact statement, Jensen described how frightened he was by the incident and how he continues to feel unsafe on the street.

Jensen did not want to comment, but his sister, Sian, said the robbery had been upsetting for her family.

"I think it's stupid that it was all over a jersey."

She said her brother "goes for the Crusaders" but also supported other New Zealand teams.

Paul's lawyer said his client was high on "ice", or methamphetamine, at the time and was on bail for other offending.

He was also sentenced for robbing a wheelchair-bound man of his mobile phone.

Paul moved to Australia with his family in 1987 and is a permanent resident but not a citizen. His visa will now be cancelled and he faces being deported to New Zealand when he finishes his sentence.

One of his brothers, aged 44, has already been deported. Another brother died of a heart attack while Paul was in custody in 2012 on another matter.

The court heard Paul finished school in 2001 and worked as a traffic controller but became homeless due to problems with drugs and alcohol.

His lawyer argued for a lesser sentence, as he would have to be deported if he was jailed for more than a year and he had "limited" family in New Zealand.

Paul has been in custody while on remand and the lawyer said he had been on lockdown 22 hours a day because of riots at Port Phillip Prison.

The judge imposed a non-parole period of two years.