Danny Cipriani fined £2,000 and ordered to carry out community service by Gloucester after nightclub arrest

Cipriani was involved in an incident at a Jersey nightclub in the early hours of last Wednesday morning

The 30-year-old is also set to face an RFU disciplinary hearing (Getty)

Danny Cipriani has been fined £2,000 and ordered to carry out 10 hours of community service by Gloucester after he pleaded guilty to assaulting a bouncer and resisting arrest during last week’s pre-season tour of Jersey. Nonetheless, the club continue to stand against the Rugby Football Union’s decision to charge him with bringing the game into disrepute.

The 30-year-old will face an RFU disciplinary hearing, thought to take place later this week, after head of discipline David Barnes decided to take action against the player following his arrest.

Cipriani was involved in an incident at a Jersey nightclub in the early hours of last Wednesday morning, with the Gloucester fly-half arguing with a bouncer as he tried to take a drink outside. The two began fighting after Cipriani attempted to grab the bouncer’s camera tie, and when police arrived he resisted arrest by three police officers, leaving a female officer with a bruise to her arm and marks on her neck.

Cipriani issued an apology after he was fined £2,000 by Jersey Magistrate’s Court and ordered to pay £250 compensation to the female officer. Following an internal review, Gloucester have decided to implement a similar punishment along with asking their summer signing to undergo community service by helping with their programme that coaches young players in the local area.

The entirety of the fine will go to charity, with half being donated to Pied Piper, the club’s chosen charity that raises money and awareness for sick and disabled children in Gloucestershire, with the other half to be given to Restart Rugby, the official charity of the Rugby Players’ Association.

“Having reviewed all the facts and spoken to both Danny and Willi Heinz, who witnessed the events first hand, we are in agreement with the Magistrate in Jersey that this was a minor incident,” a Gloucester spokesman said.

But in a statement that echoed that of chief executive Stephen Vaughan, who last week said he was “extremely disappointed” to hear of the RFU’s decision, the club claimed that Cipriani had been “singled out” due to the media coverage of the incident.

“While Danny is very apologetic for his actions, we do not believe he is guilty of bringing the game into disrepute and he will continue to get our full support,” the spokesman added.

Cipriani appears at Jersey Magistrate’s Court (PA)

“Danny has now faced disciplinary action from both the courts and his club and, with the new season about to kick off, our focus is very much on preparing for Northampton on the 1 September, so we will not be making any further comments on this matter.”

The RFU will now confirm the date and time of Cipriani’s hearing, which will take place in front of an independent disciplinary panel.

“We have high standards that we expect across the game, in line with rugby’s core values, from all those involved within it,” Barnes said.

Meanwhile, Chris Ashton’s disciplinary hearing is due to be confirmed on Tuesday after the Sale Sharks full-back was sent-off in Sunday’s pre-season friendly against Castres for punching scrum-half Rory Kockott. Should Ashton pick up a suspension, the former Toulon star could miss part or all of Sale’s four Premiership matches before Eddie Jones names his next England squad.