Jack Nowell has escaped suspension for criticising referee Karl Dickson, allowing the England wing the chance to round off his Exeter Chiefs career on the field.
Nowell has been fined £10,000 and ordered to undergo a referee’s course after accepting the RFU charge of conduct prejudicial to the interests of the game.
He branded Dickson sending off Exeter’s Olly Woodburn due to a second yellow card for tackling Chris Ashton on the ground as “one of the worst decisions I’ve ever seen” on Twitter following the Chiefs’ heavy 62-19 loss at Leicester Tigers in the Premiership last weekend.
The 30-year-old will join La Rochelle this summer, but now has the chance to sign off at Exeter on his own terms – notably by taking on his future club in the Champions Cup semi-finals on April 30.
Nowell’s fine will be donated to charity, while the 45-cap wing is free to return to action straight away.
“Debate about on-field decisions by players and officials is an inevitable part of rugby union and professional rugby players have the right to express themselves about the sport they play,” said independent disciplinary panel chair Matthew O’Grady.
“However they are not free from the consequences of such expression when it breaches their professional obligation not to act prejudicially to the interests of the game by disrespecting match officials, their decisions and their authority – not least when that expression contributes to a ‘pile on’ of public comment about a match official or match officials.
“Respect for match officials – even if we disagree with their decisions, indeed especially if we disagree with their decisions – is a core part of rugby union. It is not a value that we can turn on and off when we choose.
“Mr Nowell accepted his tweet, which was viewed many hundreds of thousands of times, was not fair comment and crossed the line of what is acceptable by a person with his considerable status in the game.”
The disciplinary panel also reiterated that referee Dickson correctly applied the laws with Woodburn’s second yellow card, with Leicester wing Ashton denied a score but a penalty try then awarded.
