Rugby star with Trini roots fined after drunken scuffle

ENGLAND international rugby star Danny Cipriani is facing disciplinary action from England Rugby football Union after being fined on Thursday for assault and resisting arrest following a drunken fracas at a nightclub in St Helier, Jersey, days before.

Cipriani, 30, is on a pre-season tour with his new Premiership club Gloucester. He was fined £2,000 and ordered by the court to pay £250 compensation for assault on a woman police officer. Cipriani was also charged with assault on police, larceny and being disorderly on licensed premises, but those were dropped. He was subsequently charged yesterday by the Rugby Union with “conduct prejedicial to the interests of the game”. He will face a disciplinary panel next week.

RFU head of discipline David Barnes said in a statement, “we have high standards that we expect across the game, in line with rugby’s core values, from all those involved within it.”

After the court’s decision, Cipriani posted an apology on Twitter: “...I’m mortified that, earlier this week, I acted in a way that I hugely regret. I am truly sorry.

“I was wrong to argue with a bouncer and pull on his camera tie” and “was also wrong to resist arrest” and he was “mortified... I acted in a way that I hugely regret.”

Cipriani became enraged when a bouncer tried to stop him taking a drink outside. He then became verbally and physically abusive towards the bouncer.

The court heard that when the doorman turned on a body camera, Cipriani became more angry and attempted to rip the device off him.

He was soon arrested and told the police officer, “These wrists are gold. Loosen the cuffs.”

He then managed to escape from his handcuffs and a second officer was needed to restrain him.

The son of a Trinidadian father, Cipriani has 16 caps for England. He says he is desperate to remain in the England set-up after making his first Test match start in ten years.

The fly-half was given seven days to pay the fine and compensation or face ten weeks in prison.

In 2015,Cipriani was involved in a collision with a taxi, and was convicted of drink-driving the next year after being found to have been twice over the drink-driving limit. He was ordered to pay £7,620 in fines and costs and banned from driving for 18 months.