England international Jack Nowell fined £10k for criticism on referee

England and Exeter Chiefs winger Jack Nowell has been handed a £10,000 fine following his criticism on referee Karl Dickson for his decision during the Premiership game against Leicester Tigers.

Nowell slammed Dickson on his social media account Twitter after the latter handed a second yellow card to Olly Woodburn for a dangerous tackle on Chris Ashton that also resulted in a penalty try for the Tigers.

The 30-year-old, who was not involved on the day, tweeted: "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", which he later deleted.

Ashton appeared before an independent disciplinary pane chaired by Matthew O'Grady joined by Martyn Wood and Guy Lovgreen on Wednesday

"On 19 April 2023 Jack Nowell appeared before an independent disciplinary panel charged with committing conduct prejudicial to the interests of the game with the tweet he posted during the match between Leicester Tigers and Exeter Chiefs on Sunday 16 April 2023," read a RFU statement.

"Mr Nowell accepted his conduct was prejudicial to the interests of the game and he was fined £10,000 and directed to undertake a referees' course. The panel directed the fine be paid to charity."