Former rugby league player Brett Stewart has won defamation action against News Limited over an article linking him to match-fixing allegations that appeared online for a few hours before it was taken down.

A story appeared on the Daily Telegraph website on June 23, 2016, reporting that the Manly Sea Eagles fullback was considering a move to France following "several long conversations" with coach Trent Barrett about claims of match-fixing that had been levelled against the club.

Brett Stewart makes a break for the Manly Sea Eagles against Wests Tigers in 2014. Credit:Anthony Johnson

The allegations had affected Stewart's on-field performance, the story reported.

The article is understood to have remained on the website for several hours before it was taken down, but it received further exposure because nine minutes after it first appeared on the Daily Telegraph's site, it was uploaded onto a Sea Eagles fan site, www.silvertails.com.au.