Saracens warned England forward Billy Vunipola about his future conduct after he was arrested in Majorca in early hours on Sunday; Vunipola was fined by an express trial for resisting the law and was tasered by Spanish police
Friday 3 May 2024 15:50, UK
Billy Vunipola says he has a problem "knowing when to stop" as he explained the circumstances behind his drunken arrest in Majorca.
The England No 8 issued a public apology after being fined €240 (£205) by an express trial for resisting the law having refused to leave a bar in Palma in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Saracens have issued a warning to Vunipola, who was tasered twice by Spanish police, over his behaviour, but he could yet be hit with a misconduct charge by the Rugby Football Union.
The 31-year-old revealed that he was drinking for the first time since August 2022 in anticipation that it would be his final team-bonding trip with Saracens due to his departure from the club this summer.
"My issue is just not knowing when to stop and that's probably why I stopped drinking for so long," Vunipola told the Daily Mail. "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 and the reason why I had a drink last weekend was because it was my last ever trip with the boys and I wanted to really enjoy it. But obviously I went too far.
"I've been at the club for 11 years and I do silly things all the time, but they always seem to forgive me and accept me for who I am. I think that's because they know that these things are in my personality, to kick out and rebel."
Vunipola insisted he does not remember being asked by security to leave 'Epic' bar after taking off his top, which resulted in the police being called, and denied any threatening behaviour to other revellers.
The 20-stone forward said a minor injury incurred by one of the police officers happened accidentally as he struggled while a zip tie was being placed around his hands.
Remarkably, video footage shows him standing unaffected by the first taser shot before succumbing to a second.
"I've got two marks on me," Vunipola said. "Someone told me those with more muscle get more affected by taser than those with a little bit more bedding! I guess I was lucky I had a bit more belly because I didn't feel it as much!
"Even when I was on the ground, they were shocked that I still had the energy to fight them - well, not fight them, resist them, which is what I got done for."
Saracens have two games left of the Gallagher English Premiership regular season, travelling to Bristol on May 11 before hosting Sale on May 18. The play-offs take place on June 1 ahead of the Premiership Final at Twickenham on June 8.
