Nowell charged over tweet criticising ‘one of worst decisions I’ve ever seen’

The Exeter and England wing Jack Nowell has been hit with a misconduct charge after criticising a referee on social media. The Rugby Football Union said Nowell had been charged with conduct prejudicial to the interests of the Union and the game.

Nowell, who is sidelined because of an injury, spoke out on Twitter after his Chiefs colleague Olly Woodburn received a second yellow card and was sent off during Exeter’s 62-19 Premiership defeat against Leicester on Sunday.

Woodburn, who had already been in the sin-bin for a deliberate knock-on, collected another yellow from the referee, Karl Dickson, for diving on the Tigers wing Chris Ashton on the ground in an attempt to prevent a try after the Chiefs full-back, Stuart Hogg, had tackled Ashton.

Dickson awarded a penalty try, which meant another yellow – and therefore a red card – for Woodburn.

Nowell and two other Exeter teammates who were also not involved in the game – fellow England internationals Luke Cowan-Dickie and Henry Slade – vented their feelings. Cowan-Dickie tweeted that “rugby had lost the plot”, while Slade said “I have no words”, but Nowell criticised Dickson in a since-deleted tweet: “I’m actually in shock, like shock shocked. What the hell is happening? That’s one of the worst decisions I’ve ever seen. EVER.”

The RFU said: “Jack Nowell, Exeter Chiefs, has been charged with conduct prejudicial to the interests of the Union and the game under RFU rule 5.12 for Tweeted criticism of the referee’s decision in the Leicester Tigers v Exeter Chiefs match on 16 April, to his 61,000 plus followers.

“The case will be heard tomorrow evening [Wednesday] by an independent disciplinary panel chaired by Matthew O’Grady, sitting with Martyn Wood and Guy Lovgreen.”

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