6 times rugby stars went AWOL – starring Vegas and working down a mine - Page 2 of 2 - Ruck

6 times rugby stars went AWOL – starring Vegas and working down a mine

4. Marland Yarde

The England winger allegedly failed to report for training on three separate occasions without providing a satisfactory explanation while at Harlequins and was given his marching orders in October 2017. He then joined Premiership rivals Sale Sharks.

5. Rupeni Caucaunibuca

The Fijian flyer made a habit of disappearing. In 2005 he copped a 12 month ban from Fiji for not playing a handful of tests include one against the All Blacks. The ban was lifted early but he repeated his antics in 2006. It was a similar situation for French club Agen. It took until his third unexplained absence in 2010 for them to rip up his contract.

6. Keith Murdoch

The burly prop was an enforcer on the field, but it was an off-field incident that would see his international career come to an end. After playing his third test for New Zealand against Wales in 1972, he punched a man in a bar after the game.

The home unions piled on the pressure for the All Blacks to punish him and they eventually decided to send him home. However, he never arrived back in New Zealand and never played for the All Blacks again. He was eventually found working in the mines in Perth, but has never talked to media about the events Cardiff in 1972.