Billy Vunipola’s fate lies in the hands of the Rugby Football Union after escaping disciplinary action by Saracens following his arrest in Mallorca last weekend. Saracens have condemned Vunipola’s behaviour and given the No 8 – who is due to leave at the end of the season – a warning but consider the matter closed.
The RFU will now wait to receive details of Saracens’ completed investigation before deciding whether to charge Vunipola. The union has the power to intervene and punish “any conduct which is prejudicial to the interests of the union or the game” and has done so before in similar circumstances.
In 2018, Danny Cipriani was found to have brought the game into disrepute after pleading guilty to charges of common assault and resisting arrest following an incident in a Jersey nightclub. The RFU did not, however, impose any additional sanction after he had been fined £2,000 by Gloucester who accused the union of conducting a “witch-hunt”.
The RFU is expecting to receive details of Saracens’ investigation by the end of the week. Counting in Vunipola’s favour, it is understood that the warning he received in April 2019 for comments on social media that appeared to support Israel Folau, who had made homophobic remarks, is deemed to have expired and will not be taken into consideration.
As revealed by the Guardian, Vunipola returned to Saracens on Wednesday morning for the first time since he was twice stunned by a Taser and arrested at a nightclub in Palma.
Vunipola paid a fine of €240 (£205) after his arrest on suspicion of a crime of disobedience and assaulting a police officer following an express trial in Palma before flying back to Stansted on Monday. He was also handed a four-month suspended prison sentence. After a day off on Tuesday, Vunipola, who issued a statement insisting the incident was not violent, returned to training at Old Albanians.
A club statement read: “Saracens can confirm that after an internal investigation, Billy Vunipola will face no further action from the club. We condemn the behaviour and have warned Billy about his future conduct. We now look forward to the remainder of the Gallagher Premiership season, and consider this case closed.”
Saracens, who sit second in the Premiership, will hope the matter is concluded by the RFU early enough to press ahead with preparing for their final two regular season matches against Bristol next Saturday and Sale the following weekend. Any suspension would jeopardise Vunipola’s swansong with the club, however, before he joins Montpellier in the summer.
In a welcome boost for Saracens, Maro Itoje is free to play in their Premiership run-in as he has escaped a suspension after his citing for a dangerous tackle, a decision that could affect his availability for England this summer. Itoje had been cited for his tackle on Alfie Barbeary in the 29th minute of Saracens’ 15-12 win over Bath last Friday.
He was sent to the sin-bin by the referee, Luke Pearce, but the citing officer deemed the offence worthy of a red card. The disciplinary panel, however, determined that contact with Barbeary’s head could “properly be described as more glancing than direct in nature” and dismissed the citing.
It means Itoje is available for their final two regular-season matches as well as the playoffs should they qualify. The 29-year-old lock has played 2,104 minutes for club and country this season and the limit – mandated on player welfare grounds – is 2,400.
Should Saracens make the Premiership final it is feasible Itoje will reach that number before England’s three Tests against Japan and New Zealand, for which Steve Borthwick wants to select his strongest squad. Itoje would not automatically be ruled out of selection – or even necessarily have to sit out some of the tour – with the Rugby Football Union saying it will work closely with Premiership Rugby, directors of rugby and players to ensure game limits are appropriately managed.
There is also precedent for players exceeding the limit – Freddie Steward did so in the 2021-22 season – but the RFU required special dispensation for him to play in the third Test of the tour of Australia.
With Saracens one point ahead of third-placed Bath and Harlequins and Bristol two points behind them in fourth and fifth respectively, they will want one of his most influential players to feature, meaning Borthwick is likely to require similar dispensation this summer. Had Itoje been suspended, the enforced rest would have provided latitude.
“The panel heard and considered evidence from Maro Itoje and the Bath player and were able to examine the footage of the incident many times and from many different angles,” the panel chair, Philip Evans KC, said.
“In particular, the panel watched the footage from the rear view of Itoje which, when considered alongside the rest of the footage, demonstrated it was more likely than not that contact was not initially with the head or simultaneously with the head and the body. Instead, contact with the head appears to come later and can properly be described as more glancing than direct in nature. In all of the circumstances, the panel did not conclude that a high degree of danger was created and therefore the on-field decision stands. The player is free to play with immediate effect.”
