Billy Vunipola escapes ban and fine from RFU after England and Saracens star was tasered and arrested on a club trip to Majorca

Billy Vunipola has been issued with a formal warning but not banned or fined by the Rugby Football Union after being tasered and arrested in Majorca.

The Saracens and England No 8 assaulted an officer while on a club bonding trip in the Balearics last month but wasn’t punished by his club.

Vunipola faced an ‘express’ trial in court where he was fined €240 (£205) and handed a suspended four-month prison sentence.

After Saracens completed an internal investigation into what went on, the RFU reviewed the information provided by the Gallagher Premiership side.

On Thursday, English rugby’s governing body confirmed they would also not throw the book at the 31-year-old.

‘The RFU has reviewed the information Saracens provided following its investigation into the incident involving Billy Vunipola in Mallorca on 27 April, which resulted in the club issuing him with a formal warning,’ they said in a statement.

‘We have also considered the apologies Billy has provided, his clear contrition and the circumstances around the incident and have concluded the most appropriate course of action is to issue a formal warning under RFU Regulation 19.6.13. This warning will sit on his record for five years and may be relied upon in future disciplinary proceedings.

‘It has been made clear to Billy that as a senior and respected player, such actions risk bringing the game as a whole into disrepute. In particular, such actions clearly go against the core values of rugby which collectively the sport works hard to promote.’

Vunipola is now free to entirely focus on the end of the Premiership season with Mark McCall’s Saracens who are looking to defend their league title.

Vunipola explained his remorse at what happened in Majorca in an exclusive interview with MailSport. He had previously been sober for two years prior to the incident.

‘It’s once during the season and once in the off-season,’ said Vunipola of Saracens’ team bonding trips abroad which have previously been crucial to the team’s success.

‘The whole reason behind the trips is to get closer as a group and find out things about each other that you won’t necessarily share freely in the changing-rooms.

‘Drink helps to release inhibitions and help people open up more. I’ve been on a fair few trips and they’ve always been a success. I caused a huge amount of embarrassment and put a spotlight on the club when they were trying to do something nice for us. It’s disappointing that I let what happened happen by drinking too much. I am very sorry.

‘My issue is just not knowing when to stop and that’s probably why I stopped drinking for so long. I’ve never really been a casual drinker.

‘If I drink, I get to a place where I probably forget what I did. That’s the reason why I had stopped.’

Saracens and Vunipola are now determined to move on from the incident, especially given the player’s remaining time at the club is limited ahead of what is expected to be a summer move to French side Montpellier. Saracens travel to Bristol on Saturday for a crunch Premiership tie. 

McCall’s side are second in the table with two rounds of the regular league season to go.

‘The case is closed as far we're concerned and we just get on with the rugby now,’ Saracens director of rugby McCall said this week.

McCall also confirmed Saracens will continue to have team bonding trips abroad in the future despite what happened with Vunipola in Majorca.

‘It was a really positive weekend for the group to spend quality time together away from training,’ said McCall.

‘That’s something the players look forward to doing as it has been part of what we have done for a long time. I think other clubs are doing it as well.

‘We’re just trying to connect the group a bit more deeply than you can sometimes get in your day-to-day work. It was a really positive couple of days despite what happened. It was a really enjoyable, well-organised trip away together after a tough game against Bath. With nothing the following weekend, it was an opportunity for us to connect in a different way. I am glad we did it.’

When asked if the incident which involved a drunken Vunipola being tasered twice before being restrained by several police officers – in what appeared to be an excessive show of force – would make Saracens reconsider the trips in future, McCall added: ‘I don’t think so, no.’

The Ulsterman went on to explain why the club merely issued a rebuke, rather than dishing out a more significant sanction for the younger Vunipola brother.

‘The only thing I would add to what the club has said is that when someone does something wrong, the first reaction doesn’t always have to be to punish that person,’ he said.

‘Sometimes you’ve got to understand why what happened, happened, to support and help.

‘We understand people are human and make mistakes. Of course there’s a line and there are things you can’t condone. But, more often than not, if it’s appropriate, we would want to give people second chances, maybe even sometimes third chances, if it’s clear they’re remorseful.’