New rugby shame as England star is held for diving off a ferry and swimming to port

England's disastrous rugby World Cup tour ended in more shame last night when star player Manu Tuilagi was detained by New Zealand police for a dangerous prank.
The 20-year-old, who came close to being deported from Britain last year for overstaying his visa, was held in Auckland after he jumped from a ferry as it was about to berth and swam ashore, egged on by other players.
His antics came at the end of a team visit to Waiheke Island, which lies 35 minutes by ferry from Auckland, during which the players and management toured the island’s famous vineyards.
Tuilagi jumped from the catamaran ferry, Superflyte, as it prepared to berth at the Auckland waterfront with the defeated England team on board.
The Samoan-born player swam a short distance to Pier 3 and while there were shouts of encouragement from many passengers on the ferry, the police were not amused and Tuilagi was taken to Auckland Central police station.
He could have been charged with disorderly conduct, but was given a warning and allowed to return to the team hotel.
Tuilagi was last night fined ￡3,000 by the Rugby Football Union. England manager Martin Johnson said: ‘This was an irresponsible thing to do. Manu has been disciplined internally and I have warned him about his future conduct.’
Tuilagi added: ‘I’m really sorry. It was a silly thing to do and I apologise to everybody for any inconvenience caused.’
Angry officials of the company that operates the ferry said the incident was ‘extremely dangerous’. Spokesman Warren Fowler said: ‘The ferry had made a turn and was about to reverse to its berth when this happened.
‘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.’
Waiheke Island boasts 30 vineyards, as well as cafes and restaurants.
The prank caps a dismal few weeks for England’s team, where they were criticised for their off-the-pitch antics as much as their woeful on-field performances.
Players and fans were left distraught by a 19-12 loss to France in the quarter-finals on Saturday, ironically with several moments of brilliance from Tuilagi preventing a heavier defeat.
The young centre is seen as a future star of the world game, but few of his colleagues return to this country with their reputations intact.
Early on in the tour, captain Mike Tindall was caught  flirting with a mystery blonde woman – later revealed to be ex-girlfriend Jessica Palmer – in a bar in Queenstown, just weeks after marrying the Queen’s granddaughter, Zara Phillips.
Things got worse when three players – Chris Ashton, James Haskell and Dylan Hartley – were forced to apologise to a female hotel worker for lecherous comments. Tuilagi, whose five older brothers all played rugby for Samoa, last year faced deportation from Britain after it emerged he had entered the country on a tourist visa six years earlier and had stayed on illegally.
He was later granted indefinite leave to remain.