Ten people were injured, two critically including a 5-year-old girl and a 67-year-old man, in Australia on Saturday after a car rammed into a crowd of rugby fans.

Thousands were lining the street to see off the Newcastle Knights rugby league team, who were headed to Sydney for the grand final.

But the festive atmosphere was shattered when an 18-year-old rugby fan "driving erratically" lost control of his vehicle and crashed into the crowd.