London-based Daniel England sent the email from his work address and it was subsequently leaked, ending up in several major UK newspapers, including the Sun, Mirror, Daily Mail and Telegraph.

The email in question was sent to three of England’s mates who were bound for a rugby tour in Dubai. For reasons you will soon discover, the email, which was also sent to another friend at a different law firm, quickly made its way around London as people were either amused or disgusted by its content.

RollOnFriday received the email last Wednesday, it reports, and by Thursday it was taking up space in the national newspapers.

The email, which was obviously meant to be funny but turned out to be rather spew-worthy instead, included England’s CV, in which he described himself in the following way:

Daniel's loyalty, honesty and positive attitude bring another dimension … he rarely puts himself first and can be trusted by all other team members. His whit [sic], intelligence and looks will ensure [we] socialise with the right people in Dubai - he his [sic] definitely one to watch.

And then came the so-called “Tour Rules”:

(i) Cheating is allowed;

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(ii) No anti-lad behavior allowed (i.e. calling girlfriends, being nice to random expats);

(iii) Everyone has each others backs;

(iv) No stealing ties or light bulbs;

(v) Compulsory gunning of parents affairs;

(vi) Mentioning parents salaries once a day; and

(vii) Being good lads (i.e. getting a round in for England);

(viii) Chants about your surrounding environment, being oily and how rich we are, are compulsory;

(ix) Public school boy 10 minutes (collars must be up) at specified 10 minutes past the hour;

(x) No cameras allowed after sunset, unless it's an underwater camera or there's a spit-roast (for evidential purposes);

(xi) High fives (and honey glaze) are obligatory during a spit-roast and after;

(xii) All universal consumption laws will be in effect throughout the duration of the tour; and

(xiii) At least one 'Silly 5' at the bar per night.  All G4 members must go to the closest bar and get loose with their credit/debit cards.  All drinks purchased to be consumed within the allotted 5 minute time period.

A spokeswoman for Shearmans told RollOnFriday that the firm was “very disappointed to learn of this individual's behaviour, which is totally at odds with the values of Shearman & Sterling. We are taking this matter very seriously and are investigating it in accordance with our established procedures”.

If you believe some of the comments posted of RollOnFriday’s website, England has been sacked, and the debate as to what exactly “gunning of parents affairs” means continues …