England rugby ace tasered by Spanish cops in bar at 4am
SHIRT off and laughing at the law, this is 20-stone England rugby star Billy Vunipola after Spanish police failed to tame his alcoholfuelled antics with a Taser.
Officers were called to the bar in Majorca at 4am after he ‘fell off the wagon’, having been teetotal for nearly two years, and repeatedly stripped off.
Police were forced to taser him, but his 6ft 2in frame – and perhaps the number of Amaretto shots he had downed – meant the first effort had little effect.
The No 8 forward was finally floored, arrested and taken to a hospital where he had to be sedated and strapped to the bed. Yesterday Vunipola, who
‘Six Amarettos with orange juice’
plays for the Saracens club, appeared in front of a judge in Palma where he was given a fourmonth suspended sentence and fined £205. He called the incident, which occurred during a team bonding trip, an ‘unfortunate misunderstanding’.
Bar owner Toni Rocha denied reports Vunipola had threatened customers and staff with bottles and chairs, but said he had confronted police when they arrived, while other reports said he flexed his muscles at them.
Giving an account of the night’s events, Mr Rocha said: ‘He arrived just before 3am on Sunday with a friend who I believe is also a rugby player. They’d been drinking before [and] when they ordered the first round they asked for six Amarettos with orange juice and freshly squeezed lime.
‘The friend was fine but Billy started becoming a problem as he became drunker. I had to ask him to put his top on when he took it off while he was at the bar.’
Mr Rocha said the situation became ‘very tense’ after Vunipola took his shirt of a second and third time and police were called. When the first officers arrived he confronted them and they had to call for back-up.
‘I heard him saying “f****** cops”,’ Mr Rocha said. ‘He also hit one of them with his shirt in his hand. He laughed the first time they went to taser him. It was like a film, and I heard the words “another one’’ and the second time he fell to the ground and they put wrist ties on him.’
Vunipola arrived back at Stansted airport yesterday afternoon, and was greeted by fellow England and Saracens stars Maro Itoje and Elliot Daly.
In a statement, he said: ‘I can confirm I was involved in an unfortunate misunderstanding when I was leaving a club in Majorca on Sunday, which got out of hand.
‘Contrary to media reports, there was no violence, no fight and I did not threaten anybody at any stage, with bottles or chairs or anything else. I was charged with resisting the law and, following an “express trial”, have paid a fine of ¤240. The Spanish police investigation is now closed.
‘I will obviously co-operate with the Saracens internal process and unreservedly apologise for any inconvenience to all involved.’
Saracens said it would deal with the incident internally and would not make any further comment until then.
BILLY VUNIPOLA is not an innately controversial character, but he has once again stumbled into an unseemly drama, which threatens to tarnish his impending send- off at Saracens.
The 31-year- old No 8 will be leaving the club in the summer to join Montpellier, if they will still have him — and for now there is nothing to suggest they won’t. But what happened in Majorca leaves an ugly stain and has the potential to spoil the great farewell at a club he has served with distinction for more than a decade, stockpiling medals and titles along the way.
There was a mood of shock and palpable sadness when the news broke of his clash with police and security staff at a bar in Palma. This is a popular player, but one who has intermittently undermined his own reputation with erratic behaviour.
The latest episode came after a long spell of being teetotal, in a bid to rediscover his peak form. That concerted commitment didn’t survive a club social trip to the Balearics and now Vunipola must wait to find out the extent of the repercussions. Perhaps he won’t play for the Premiership champions again. It would be a crying shame if he were to just drift away at the end of the season, having been marginalised beyond all redemption by something like this.
There have been lapses before. In 2019, he and Ben Te’o apologised to England team-mates for staying out drinking later than the rest of the squad after a 38-38 draw with Scotland. In the same year, there was a homophobia furore — after he voiced support for Israel Folau, following discriminatory remarks made by the Australia full back. That summer, Vunipola clashed with Steve Borthwick, who was England forwards coach at the time, which led to an apology last year.
‘I was very, very ahead of myself back then,’ said Billy. ‘I had a conversation with Steve about rugby after training when we were in Treviso. I said a few things that were out of line, that never should have been said to Steve in that way, but also in front of other people. He should never have been in that situation where I’ve made him feel like I was patronising towards him. Especially as an elder, not just the coach but someone who’s older than me. It was very disrespectful.’
Rewind further and Vunipola was accused of having an attitude problem when he joined up with the England squad in New Zealand, in 2014. He later expressed regret for his conduct then, too.
But he is not a trouble-maker by nature. He is genial giant, one who has regularly castigated himself as arrogant when he doesn’t come across that way. Far from it. Overall, he is incredibly polite and respectful. He is quietly spoken and comes across as shy and deferential to older brother Mako, to his parents and authority figures in general. His mother, Singa, is a Methodist preacher and instilled good values in the young Billy.
So, the idea of him confronting police with aggression is hard to imagine. He is endlessly honest and self-critical. There has been a careerlong cycle of introspection and regret between periods of intense dedication and focus. Alcohol is a release valve at times — but not often. One source spoke of him succumbing to ‘demons’ after being teetotal since August 2022. He fell off the wagon hard and has suffered reputational damage, before responding with a swift apology.
Sober, he will be consumed by
guilt and shame, as the shirtless, laughing man surrounded by police and security guards on CCtV footage is by no means the recognisable version of the younger Vunipola brother, who has always wielded his formidable physique without malice.
The images and the unsavoury details which circulated yesterday were damning. a policeman who was dispatched to help subdue the enormous visitor to the island was hurt in the process. that is a bad look and explains the suspended prison sentence.
So, where does this leave him? that will become clear in the next 24-48 hours as Saracens plan their response to the ugly episode on a trip designed to boost morale, not leave them with a problem to address. In the past, such bonding ventures have served them well in forging greater collective spirit, but this one has brought a sting in the early hours tale.
Despite reviving his international career on the 2022 tour of australia, Vunipola has since dropped off the England radar completely after a World Cup when he was a bit-part player. His impending move to Montpellier was a reflection of the fact that all hope of further test honours had gone, so the greater riches on offer in France became difficult to ignore.
Last Friday, big Billy was held in reserve as tom Willis played ahead of him for Saracens at Bath — as a further sign of the times. In years gone by, club and country built their attacking game around his gainline-busting carries, but that influence has faded of late.
Initial indications are that he will not face significant punishment from Saracens but that is subject to the conclusion of an internal inquest, which will intensify today after the travelling group returned from Palma on a flight yesterday afternoon.
As for Montpellier, they are believed to be taking stock of how the saga plays out, before deciding their own course of action. there is no hint that their contract offer will be cancelled, but time will tell. They have become used to outside condemnation — of certain players, coaches and even of their owner — so they have a stubborn, defiant streak in these situations.
Those who know Billy will hope that he can repent for the trouble he has caused and be given the benefit of the doubt; by Montpellier and by the wider rugby community.
Someone widely regarded as a good man has fallen off the wagon and lurched off the rails. In theory, his career is in jeopardy. What a mess. What a shame.