VUNIPOLA WARNED BY SARACENS
BILLY VUNIPOLA has been warned by Saracens for his controversial social media comments in support of Israel Folau’s homophobic views — but will not be fined or banned. The England No 8 held lengthy discussions with his club yesterday and sportsmail understands Saracens intend to further educate their star player on LGBT issues. Vunipola himself has moved to clarify his Instagram post, which he sent out on Friday and has had over 8,000 likes. Vunipola, commenting on the backlash that Australian fullback Folau received for saying that ‘hell awaits’ homosexuals if they did not repent, wrote that ‘man was made for woman to procreate’. He was subsequently dropped by Channel 4’s rugby coverage and then booed when he
played against Bristol on Saturday. While Rugby Australia will sack 30-year-old Folau (pictured above) for his second anti-gay outburst in a year, and said yesterday he had 48 hours to accept that verdict or face a code-of-conduct hearing, Vunipola has now explained his own views but offered no apology to the LGBT community. ‘I can see that my recent post has hurt people,’ said the England forward whose mother is a Methodist minister. ‘My intention was never to cause suffering. It was to express my belief in the word of God. ‘These beliefs are a source of great strength, comfort and guidance in my life. This is deeply personal and does not represent the views of my team. Anyone who knows me, knows I live with love towards ALL people. ‘I have faith. My Christian faith has sustained me through the ups and many downs of my life. ‘God has given and continues to give me many reasons in life to be grateful.’ Saracens consider the matter closed, but Vunipola will now meet the RFU for similar discussions in the coming days. It is unlikely that the No 8 will be suspended for matches, as this is his first offence of this type. He is available for selection for the Heineken Champions Cup semifinal against Munster on Saturday. ‘At Saracens, we are one family, open to all with the firm view that everyone should be treated equally with respect and humility,’ a club statement read. ‘We recognise the complexity of different belief systems and understand Billy’s intention was to express the word of God rather than cause offence. ‘However, he made a serious error of judgement in publicly sharing his opinion, which is inconsistent with the values of the club and contravenes his contractual obligations. The player has been formally warned about his future conduct.’
Wales fly-half Gareth Anscombe will stay in the country, joining Ospreys, and Shaun Edwards will not be heading to Wigan.