Rugby star spared jail for drunken attack on man

Samoan rugby star Alesana Tuilagi has been spared a jail term and a criminal record after he pleaded guilty to a drink-fuelled attack on a man in Dublin three years ago.

The 33-year-old pleaded guilty at Dublin District Court yesterday to assault causing harm to a man who received a single punch in the face during an incident at Harcourt Street in the city centre on April 4, 2011.

The blow, described by a defence lawyer as a “pent-up lapse of judgment”, happened after the former Leicester winger got drunk partying with team-mates and Leinster players.