England Rugby World Cup center Manu Tuilagi was detained by New Zealand police after he jumped off a ferry as it was about to berth on the Auckland waterfront.
The 20-year-old Samoan-born player has been fined ￡3,000 (US$4,650) by the Rugby Football Union after he leaped from the vessel, which was carrying teammates, as it arrived from Waiheke Island and was preparing to dock on Sunday evening.
A police spokesperson said Tuilagi was formally warned about the offense of disorderly behavior and then released to the England team management.
“I’m really sorry. It was a silly thing to do and I apologize to everybody for any inconvenience caused,” Tuilagi said.
Warren Fowler, the general manager of the ferry company, said that the antic was dangerous and there could have been serious consequences.
“It could have been tragic, with vessels coming in here and someone jumping off the back of a vessel when it is going to be reversing shortly,” Fowler told the New Zealand Herald.
England were knocked out by France in the quarter-finals on Saturday, losing 19-12.
Tuilagi had already been in hot water at the tournament when he was fined for wearing a mouthguard bearing a sponsor’s name.
He was fined NZ$10,000 (US$7,500) for wearing the mouthguard in a game against Georgia.
England’s campaign in New Zealand was dogged by off-field problems.
Three players were forced to apologize to a female hotel employee for harassment, while Mike Tindall — married to the granddaughter of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II — admitted he had misled officials about his night with a mystery woman, later said to be an “old friend” by those close to the England center.
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