The former partner of rugby league star Semi Radradra has told a Sydney court he punched her in the face, and then confessed to their pastor.

Radradra, who plays for the Parramatta Eels NRL club, has been charged with two counts of common assault against his ex-girlfriend Perina Ting in November 2014.

A tearful Ms Ting told Parramatta Local Court Radradra punched her on the cheek at their Telopea unit in western Sydney after an argument about her mother being unable to visit from Fiji.

The court was told Radradra then confessed the assault to their pastor.

Ms Ting said she had recently given birth and had wanted her mother to visit, but she was not able to because Radradra had not filled in the paperwork.

She said the couple argued about the visit, then Radradra became upset because she spoke to her mother for too long on the phone.

Ms Ting testified she smashed the phone on the wall and Radradra “stood up and he punched me”.

Ms Ting said she locked herself in the toilet and heard Radradra call their pastor and ask him to come over.

“So the pastor came and he said ‘what happened?’ … Semi told him that we’d got in an argument and he punched me,” she told the court.

She said Radradra told the pastor in Fijian that: “I used my hands on her.”

The pastor spoke to the couple and said “this is your family, you should love them,” and read a bible verse, Ms Ting testified.

Radradra silently watched Ms Ting give her evidence.

Radradra iwill leave Parramatta after 2017. Photo: AAP

The second charge relates to an allegation the rugby league player pushed Ms Ting against a wall and knocked her unconscious.

A third allegation that he kicked her in the stomach when she was pregnant has been dropped.

It was confirmed in January that Radradra will leave Parramatta after the 2017 season to play for French rugby union side Toulon.