Rugby World Cup 2011: England centre Manu Tuilagi warned over 'disorderly behaviour' after 'ferry jump'

Samoan-born Tuilagi – who has been fined £3,000 by the England management team – was met by police after he was believed to have jumped off the Fullers ferry Superflyte on its arrival from Waiheke Island with some members of the team defeated by France on board.

Police spokeswoman Noreen Hegarty claimed a member of the team, who she did not name but was confirmed by separate sources as Tuilagi, swam a short distance to pier three at the downtown ferry terminal before being taken to Auckland Central police station. He was formally warned there about the offence of disorderly behaviour, and then released.

A contrite Tuilagi said: “I am really sorry, it was a silly thing to do and I apologise to everybody.”

News of this latest incident will dismay Martin Johnson. The England manager was mounting a robust defence of his players at the very time that Tuilagi was headed over to Waiheke. “The disappointing thing is that the off-the-field stuff doesn’t reflect what this team is,” he said. “There are some good people there. They have done a lot of good stuff on and off the pitch. Off field is 0.0001 per cent. The rest has been very good.”

However, after hearing of this latest incident, he said: “This was an irresponsible thing to do. Manu has been disciplined internally, and I’ve warned him about his future conduct.”

Several players, many with their families, had decided to travel to the popular scenic resort of Waiheke. Some of the squad flew back to England on Sunday night as hasty plans were put in place following the 19-12 defeat by France at Eden Park. The entire group could not be accommodated on one flight. Those that remained were given free time.

Neither Hegarty nor Fullers was able to confirm a report that alcohol was involved. But the Fullers general manager for service delivery, Warren Fowler, said the incident was extremely dangerous. Boats scuttle in and out with great regularity in the bustling harbour front. “It could have been tragic, with vessels coming in here,” Mr Fowler said.

RFU officials were considering a comment on Sunday night.

The Tuilagi incident came after England had been knocked out of the World Cup by France in Saturday’s quarter-final. It is the latest in a series of off-field incidents that have dogged England throughout their tour, starting with their five-day stay in Queenstown, where Mike Tindall, who is married to the Queen’s granddaughter, Zara Phillips, was caught on CCTV footage hugging and kissing a blonde woman in a bar.

Tindall issued an apology after he initially denied visiting a second bar with the woman.

Problems also occurred in Dunedin, where England played their early World Cup matches. A hotel worker complained of ‘lewd’ behaviour towards her by three England players, wing Chris Ashton, hooker Dylan Hartley and back-row forward James Haskell.

The trio denied that they had done anything wrong but were made to apologise to the hotel worker, who complained that their comments had humiliated her. Ashton, Hartley and Haskell were reprimanded by England management at the time. Details of the incident only emerged three weeks later.

Tuilagi, 20, was one of the few success stories of an otherwise dismal campaign in New Zealand. He was, however, embroiled in an episode earlier in the tournament when he was fined by the International Rugby Board for wearing an unapproved gum shield carrying the name of a sponsor.

His brother, Alesana Tuilagi, a winger for the Samoa side, was fined the same amount, NZ$10,000 (£5,000) for wearing the same type of mouthguard.

Manu Tuilagi, the youngest of six rugby-playing brothers, is due to report back for club duty with Leicester later this week.

He faced deportation in 2010 after it was revealed that he came to England as 12 year-old on a six-month holiday visa and stayed on. But he was given permission to remain in England by the Home Office after a high-profile campaign to obtain a work permit for him.

Tuilagi made his senior debut for England in the World Cup warm-up match against Wales at Twickenham in August and celebrated his first appearance with a try. He has now won seven caps, having played in all five of England’s matches at the World Cup.

Rogues gallery: who were the real bad boys?

Manu Tuilagi
Blotted his copybook by wearing gumshield with sponsor’s name and his ferryboat jinks. Bad-boy rating 3 out of 5

Mike Tindall
Dwarf-throwing and a liaison with an ex-girlfriend. His experience meant he should have set a better example. Bad-boy rating 5

James Haskell, Dylan Hartley and Chris Ashton
Forced to apologise for making lewd comments to a female hotel employee in Dunedin. Hartley and Ashton had also attracted adverse headlines for bungee-jumping escapades. Bad-boy rating 3

Courtney Lawes
Banned for two matches for “recklessly striking” Argentina’s Mario Ledesma in their opening group match. At least showed remorse. Bad-boy rating 2

Delon Armitage Dangerous high tackle on Scotland’s Chris Paterson ruled the wing out of the showdown with France. Bad-boy rating 2