England’s Vunipola has been warned by the RFU over an arrest incident in Mallorca

England’s RFU have warned Billy Vunipola over his behavior during an incident in Mallorca, Spain, in which the back row was verbally abused, arrested by police and fined.

The incident in question occurred in late April, with Vunipola denying reports in Spanish media that he had acted violently, while police said he was arrested for disobeying and slapping a police officer.

At the time, Vunipola apologized “unreservedly” for his behavior in a statement and was fined 240 euros.

Saracens, Vunipola’s club, conducted an internal investigation with which the player cooperated and presented its findings to the RFU, the sport’s governing body in England.

“The RFU has reviewed the information provided by Saracens following their investigation into the Billy Vunipola incident in Mallorca on April 27, which resulted in the club issuing him a formal warning.

“We have also considered Billy’s apologies, his clear remorse and the circumstances surrounding the incident and have concluded that the most appropriate course of action is to issue a formal warning in accordance with RFU Regulation 19.6.13. This warning will remain on his record for five years and may be used in future disciplinary proceedings.

“It was made clear to Billy that, as an experienced and respected player, such actions risked bringing the game as a whole into disrepute. In particular, such actions clearly violate rugby’s core values, which the sport as a whole works hard to promote.”

Vunipola has made 75 appearances for England, most recently in the narrow Rugby World Cup semi-final defeat to South Africa in October.