- Vunipola arrived back in Britain with teammates with uncertainty about his future
- He was tasered twice in a bar, tied up and tied to a bed in the hospital
- Itoje, meanwhile, received a yellow card for head-on contact
Saracens have been hit with another blow following the arrest of Billy Vunipola in Mallorca with the news that his teammate Maro Itoje is facing a possible ban for dangerous tackles.
Vunipola’s career was thrown into doubt on Monday when he flew home from a Saracens trip to Europe after being tasered by police for resisting arrest and assaulting an officer.
The 31-year-old England number 8 arrived at Stansted Airport with teammates amid a club investigation into the events that led to him being tasered twice at a Palma bar in the early hours of Sunday. A drunk, shirtless Vunipola was detained and taken to hospital, where he had to be tied to a bed.
He was subsequently given an ‘express’ trial in court, where he was given a €240 (£205) fine and a four-month suspended prison sentence.
The incident could derail Saracens’ bid to defend their Gallagher Premiership title.
Billy Vunipola’s Saracens have been dealt another major blow following the arrest of number 8
Vunipola has returned to Britain with uncertainty over his future after being tasered twice
Itoje, meanwhile, could be banned for his side’s next games after a direct clash with Bath
Mark McCall’s men are second in the table after a 15-12 win at Bath last Friday.
Vunipola’s immediate club future at Saracens is unclear. The intention is for him to transfer to French side Montpellier at the end of the season. But there is now a very real chance that both he and Itoje will miss crucial games in the English league.
Itoje was booked for a high tackle on Bath’s Alfie Barbeary at The Rec. Itoje made head-on contact with Barbeary.
Referee Luke Pearce showed England a yellow card and not a red, meaning he had to wait 10 minutes in the sin bin and was not given a permanent dismissal.
That seemed to be the end of the matter, but on Tuesday the Rugby Football Union confirmed that Itoje had been cited for dangerous tackles over the Barbeary incident.
He faces an independent disciplinary panel on Tuesday and if Itoje is ruled guilty he faces a possible two-to-three match ban.
Itoje faces an independent disciplinary panel on Tuesday and faces a possible ban of up to three matches
Such a scenario would mean he would miss Saracens’ final two games of the regular Premiership season away at Bristol and at home to Sale.
While Saracens are in a good position to finish in the top four and secure a home semi-final, going without Itoje in the run-in would be a blow.
Only four points separate McCall’s side in second place and Sale in sixth.