Queensland Rugby Union fine George Smith for bizarre Japanese incident

THE Queensland Rugby Union have fined former Wallabies great George Smith for failing to tell them of his 18-day stint in the custody of Japanese police.

George Smith of the Reds has been fined in the wake of an incident in Japan.

DECORATED Wallaby George Smith has been fined over his failure to tell the Queensland Reds of his arrest and time in police custody in Japan.

It’s believed the action was taken when Smith was a called to a meeting of Queensland Rugby Union bosses on Monday for a please-explain on his vanishing act in Japan when in police detention for 18 days after his arrest on New Year’s Eve.

It is understood Smith apologised to the QRU and the fine applied because he was a no-show at Reds training and injury rehabilitation in Brisbane for more than a week without any communication from the flanker or his management.

LIVE stream the Hamilton Sevens tournament on FOX SPORTS. Get your free 2-week Foxtel Now trial & start watching in minutes. SIGN UP NOW >

The QRU can still breath a large sigh of relief that Smith’s arrest in Tokyo on New Year’s Eve over allegations of pushing a taxi driver and not paying a fare after a night drinking have come to nothing.

Smith was released without charge and the QRU is believed to have a copy of a document from the Japanese prosecutor indicating Smith had no case to answer.

It is a good result for Smith, the 111-Test legend, and the QRU but the Reds were understandably peeved that the first news they heard about their star flanker this year were reports of the alleged drama in Japanese media.

The Reds had heard nothing of the episode from Smith or his management until it broke in the media more than two weeks after his arrest.

READ MORE: Reds raid Brumbies for Hunt cover

READ MORE: Wallaby star faces court on drug charges

LISTEN: Aussie sevens co-captain Shannon Parry joins The Splash, Karmichael Hunt discussion

SUBSCRIBE TO THE SPLASH ON iTUNES

It’s understood Smith fronted a meeting at Ballymore and was contrite about the lack of communication and an absence of more than a week when he should have been involved in rehabilitation on his back.

Smith underwent surgery in December and a diligent timeline of rehab has been mapped out to get him back on the field against the ACT Brumbies in Canberra on April 7 which would mean missing just five games.

Smith returned to rehab at Ballymore today where the main body of the Reds players are preparing for Friday’s intra-squad trial as part of the twilight Reds Fan Day.

Originally published as Queensland Rugby Union fine George Smith for bizarre Japanese incident