Vunipola’s last hurrah with Saracens now under threat

Star’s arrest for assault in Majorca means he could have played final game for club

- Nick Purewal

BILLY VUNIPOLA was meant to be preparing to end his Saracens career by chasing a personal fifth Premiership title. Instead, the England No8 may never play for the club again.

The 31-year-old will bring down 11 years with the north London side by joining Montpellier this summer and ought to be gearing up for another Premiership play-off push.

The England star's arrest for assault in a bar in the Majorcan capital Palma has, instead, plunged all of that into a mixture of jeopardy and chaos.

Vunipola came off the bench to help Saracens claim a 15-12 victory at Bath on Friday night every bit as impressive as it is vital to their play-off cause.

Saracens do not have a fixture this coming weekend, having been eliminated from the Champions Cup at the last-16 stage, and some players were handed pre-arranged time off.

Saracens have always stressed a strong work-life balance, with the club famed for group trips overseas to ease the mental as well as physical pressures of rugby's relentless environment.