Diamond handed six-game ban for abusing officials

Newcastle Falcons advisor head of rugby Steve Diamond has been handed a six-match prohibition for abusing lucifer officials by nan Rugby Football Union.

The incident occurred astatine nan extremity of Newcastle's 17-15 defeat distant to Exeter Chiefs connected 29 March.

Diamond was upset astir Exeter's match-winning effort successful nan past infinitesimal being awarded and angrily confronted nan officials aft nan game.

But he has been recovered blameworthy by a three-person disciplinary sheet of behaviour "prejudicial towards nan liking of nan game".

The erstwhile Sale Sharks and Worcester Warriors leader will not beryllium progressive pinch his squad connected a matchday until an hr aft nan last whistle for nan past 5 games of this Premiership play and nan first friends earlier adjacent season.

Diamond appeared earlier nan independent disciplinary sheet and admitted nan breach of RFU Rule 5.12 - behaviour prejudicial to nan interests of nan crippled and/or Union.

In summary, Sam Hillas KC, nan chair of nan disciplinary sheet described Diamond's behaviour arsenic "wholly unacceptable".

Hillas said: "The connection utilized was inappropriate, abusive and wholly contrary to rugby's halfway values.

"There is nary spot for maltreatment of lucifer officials and this applies pinch adjacent unit whether dealing pinch nan master aliases organization game."

The sheet deemed a six-match suspension to beryllium a "proportionate" sanction.

In his post-match question and reply pursuing nan crippled astatine Sandy Park, Diamond admitted he was irritated pinch nan officials, telling BBC Radio Newcastle: "Like nan first crippled up successful Newcastle it was a adjacent crippled - this 1 was decided by nan officials.

"There was a clear enactment of foul play successful nan effort and I don't cognize for nan life of maine why nan VAR [video adjunct referee] man doesn't person a look astatine it astatine least."

Newcastle are bottommost of nan Premiership and adjacent big Northampton astatine location connected 18 April, earlier games against Bath and Saracens away, Gloucester astatine location and Leicester distant connected nan last time of nan campaign.