ENGLAND’S players have been given a final warning about their off-field behaviour after the arrest of London Irish full-back Delon Armitage for alleged assault.

Armitage (28), who had represented England Saxons at fullback when they beat the Irish Wolfhounds 23-17 in Exeter on Saturday, was detained by police following an altercation in a Torquay nightclub in the early hours of Sunday morning. He has been suspended from international duty.

It is the latest in a litany of incidents involving England squad members. Interim head coach Stuart Lancaster has already disciplined Danny Care of Harlequins this month after his arrest for drink driving.

Armitage has been released on police bail until March 21st while investigations continue. Devon and Cornwall Police said a local man had received a split lip during the incident but he did not require medical treatment.

Having received four disciplinary bans in 2011, including an eight-week suspension for pushing a doping officer, Armitage’s Test career will now take some resuscitating. Lancaster is determined to foster a healthy culture around the squad and has made it clear he will crack down hard on any future miscreants.

“The message we want to give is that this sort of behaviour isn’t tolerated,” Lancaster said. “If players can’t work that out, they won’t be selected or they’ll be suspended or deselected. Eventually the message will get through. High standards of behaviour are required from England players on and off the field and they also need to understand that they should not put themselves in a potentially vulnerable position or environment.”

Armitage has been strongly linked with a summer move to Toulon and a move abroad would effectively rule him out of England contention anyway. His place in the Saxons squad to face Scotland A on Friday has been swiftly filled, with his clubmate Jonathan Joseph and Worcester’s Miles Benjamin both called up along with the Sale flanker Dave Seymour.

Lancaster, nevertheless, will be annoyed that a relatively senior player has taken no notice of his repeated calls for players to act more responsibly off the field.

“It’s extremely disappointing but you can never expect things to go always in a straight line upwards,” said Lancaster. “There are going to be challenges along the way but we feel we’ve acted in the right way.

“Every decision gets made in context and certainly, with my knowledge of the facts, I had no option [but to suspend Armitage], to be honest. We will see what happens.”

Armitage may also be punished by London Irish, which is taking the matter “extremely seriously”.

Lancaster’s appointment meanwhile of Harlequins captain Chris Robshaw as England skipper for the Six Nations opener against Scotland next weekend was overshadowed by Armitage’s arrest.

England’s World Cup campaign in New Zealand last autumn was blighted by off-field problems and led to the resignation of team manager Martin Johnson. Centre Mike Tindall was fined €30,000 and ejected from England’s elite player squad following his behaviour during a night out in Queenstown, although he was later reinstated and had the fine reduced by €12,000 on appeal.

Fellow centre Manu Tuilagi got a €3,600 RFU fine for jumping off a ferry into Auckland harbour, with Chris Ashton and James Haskell each landing suspended €5,900 RFU fines for behaviour towards a Dunedin hotel worker.

Asked why the discipline message was not getting through, Lancaster said: “I think it just takes some time and part of it is also getting players to understand you don’t put yourself in a vulnerable position, in a situation where you can get yourself in trouble.”

ROLL OF SHAME: England fines and frolics

September 15th

CCTV footage of Mike Tindall is released by a bouncer in a Queenstown bar, the former England captain is fined £25,000 (€29,000) and thrown out of the elite player squad, only to be reinstated and the fine is reduced to £10,000 (€12,000) on appeal.

September 29th

Kicking coach Dave Alred and fitness coach Paul Stridgeon were banned from attending the Scotland pool game after switching non-match balls for Jonny Wilkinson conversions in England's 67-3 World Cup victory over Romania, an action the IRB deemed to be in "contravention of both the laws of the game and the spirit of the game".

October 3rd

James Haskell, Chris Ashton and Dylan Hartley are made to formally apologise to Queenstown hotel employee Annabel Newton after she complained about their comments when retrieving a hotel walkie-talkie from a room. A subsequent RFU hearing concluded her allegation was "entirely false". Ashton and Haskell received suspended fines of £5,000 (€5,900).

October 8th

England lose 19-12 in World Cup quarter-final against France.

In the aftermath, Manu Tuilagi, earlier fined £5,000 (€5,900) for wearing a gumbshield with a sponsors name, is formally warned by police and fined a further £3,000 (€3,600) for jumping off an Auckland ferry and swimming to shore.

Lewis Moody and Courtney Lawes are also fined for sponsored mouth guards.

November 16th

Martin Johnson resigns as England manager. RFU director of operations Rob Andrew said: "No I'm absolutely not considering resigning. In terms of the department and the structure of the professional game – that's my role in this. My job is to run the department, not just the playing side of things."

November 22nd

Three reports, with anonymous comments by the players, are leaked to the Times.

"To hear one senior player in the changing room say straight after the quarter-final defeat 'there's £35k just got down the toilet' made me feel sick," anonymous England player.

December 8th

Stuart Lancaster appointed England manager with assistance from Graham Rowntree (forwards) and Andy Farrell (backs). They are short-term appointments that will be reviewed after the Six Nations.

January 1st

Danny Care arrested in early hours of New Year's Day for drink driving, subsequently fined £3,100 (€3,700) in court and banned from the road for 16 months. He was excluded from the Six Nations squad.

January 29th

Delon Armitage, the London Irish fullback, is cut from by the Saxons squad following an alleged assault in a nightclub after Saturday's match against the Irish Wolfhounds.

The RFU said: "He was later arrested in Torquay on suspicion of assault following an altercation in a nightclub, interviewed and then released on police bail while inquiries continue."