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The Rugby Football Union has launched an investigation into allegations of homophobic abuse of referee Nigel Owens at Twickenham last Saturday.
Owens, who is openly gay, is claimed to have been the subject of discriminatory taunts by supporters during England's 24-21 defeat by New Zealand in the opening QBE International.
"We take any allegations of any abuse very seriously and are investigating this matter," an RFU spokesperson said.
The matter was first brought to light when a spectator witnessed the abuse from a group of men he estimated to be their mid-30s and subsequently wrote a letter to a national newspaper outlining what he had heard.
Show all 32 1 /32England 21 New Zealand 24 player ratings England 21 New Zealand 24 player ratings Mike Brown - 7 Mike Brown – At his reliable best, but lacked a cutting edge with the ball in hand that we’ve come to expect. Solid would be an appropriate word
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England 21 New Zealand 24 player ratings Semesa Rokodugani - 5 Non-existent with the ball given England didn’t know how to get him into the game. Useful in defence, but replaced after 62 minutes on his debut
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England 21 New Zealand 24 player ratings Brad Barritt He’s definitely not a 13, and it showed as he lacked the imagination and creativity they desperately needed
England 21 New Zealand 24 player ratings Kyle Eastmond – 6 Gave away three needless penalties in the first half but coped well thereafter. A tough ask to mark Williams, but manned up to the task
England 21 New Zealand 24 player ratings Jonny May – 8 Scored an unforgettable 50m try to light up Twickenham. His best performance yet of a very young and promising career
England 21 New Zealand 24 player ratings Owen Farrell – 6 His decision making was strong and kicking for goal as reliable as ever. Tactical kicking still needs perfecting though and it puts England under pressure
England 21 New Zealand 24 player ratings Danny Care – 6 Not at his sniping best but came to life when England were on the front-foot. Replaced by Youngs with 20 minutes to go to show he wasn’t firing on all cylinders
England 21 New Zealand 24 player ratings Joe Marler – 6 His scrummaging was good and tried to impose on the All Blacks’ pack when he carried, but Lancaster will still want more from the Harlequins captain
England 21 New Zealand 24 player ratings Dylan Hartley – 6 A constant nuisance, although the penalty for a high tackle on Cruden was slightly harsh. Lucky that he wasn’t caught by Coles’ kick. Lineout ball was of the highest calibre
England 21 New Zealand 24 player ratings David Wilson – 7 He’s performing admirably in the long-term absence of Dan Cole, and he can be happy with his performance, having scrummed well. Replaced by Brookes late on
England 21 New Zealand 24 player ratings Dave Attwood – 8 One of England’s standout players, he was strong in stealing New Zealand ball at the line-out and ran for good yards. Fatherhood appears to suit him
England 21 New Zealand 24 player ratings Courtney Lawes - 5 Lasted just 20 minutes after suffering a concussion, but his first-minute hit on Sonny Bill Williams set the tone
England 21 New Zealand 24 player ratings Tom Wood – 7 His mud-stained, blood-splattered shirt told the story, and that was only after 30 minutes. Mammoth work-rate at the breakdown, but New Zealand just squeezed him out of the game
England 21 New Zealand 24 player ratings Chris Robshaw – 6 His decision making will come into question once again as he went for scrums at the death with time against England. Looked out of gas by the end, but you can’t question his commitment
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England 21 New Zealand 24 player ratings Billy Vunipola – 7 Ran hard for 53 minutes but is yet to put in a performance like that against the All Blacks two years ago. Took a heavy hit just before he was replaced
England 21 New Zealand 24 player ratings Replacements Rob Webber – Good impact in late push. 6 Matt Mullan – Picked up where Marler left off in the scrum. 6 Kieran Brookes – Big shove late on helped earn penalty try.6 George Kruis – Missed tackle led to McCaw try, but will learn. 5 Ben Morgan – Tried to carry England forward, to little avail. 6 Ben Youngs – Thrown on behind a pack going backwards. 5 George Ford – Try-saving tackle on Williams was impressive. 7 Anthony Watson – Little chance to impress on debut. 6
England 21 New Zealand 24 player ratings Israel Dagg – 4 Shaky again after his last outing against England, poor pass nearly robbed McCaw of second-half try
England 21 New Zealand 24 player ratings Ben Smith – 7 On another day he could have had two tries. As it was, a constant thorn in England’s side and hugely talented on the ground and in the air
England 21 New Zealand 24 player ratings Conrad Smith – 6 Showed his age for the first time as May burned him on the outside for opening try. Had an unusually quiet game, though is handling was as beautiful as ever
England 21 New Zealand 24 player ratings Sonny Bill Williams – 7 Enjoyed two barrelling runs, and his fist-minute one-handed offload in his own 22 summed up his desire to entertain. Nearly scored had it not been for Ford
England 21 New Zealand 24 player ratings Julian Savea – 6 Nailed Rokoduguni to welcome him to international rugby and charged over Barritt as if he wasn’t there. Got a heavy hit back from his opposite wing, and at last England managed to stop him from scoring
England 21 New Zealand 24 player ratings Aaron Cruden – 6 First-half try should have been chalked off as he grounded the ball short of the line, and his kicking was wayward in tricky conditions. Brought off after 60 minutes
England 21 New Zealand 24 player ratings Aaron Smith – 7 Wood and Vunipola kept him honest, but linked up well when All Blacks were on the attack
England 21 New Zealand 24 player ratings Wyatt Crockett – 7 Enjoyed his battle with Wilson with both enjoying success. Brought off for Ben Franks when the job was done
England 21 New Zealand 24 player ratings Dane Coles – 6 Correctly sin-binned for lashing out at Hartley only to kick Care in error. Has shown previous to let his aggression get the better of him, and must cut it out – even if he is being pulled to ground by the opposition
England 21 New Zealand 24 player ratings Owen Franks – 8 Has become a crucial player for the All Blacks and gives them a solid platform to attack from in the forwards. Second-half break set-up McCaw’s try
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England 21 New Zealand 24 player ratings Sam Whitelock – 6 Nearly managed to poach himself a try, and looked bemused when it wasn’t awarded. Has bags of talent in so many areas, although he’ll be disappointed with the line-out disruption
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England 21 New Zealand 24 player ratings Brodie Retallick – 7 Brought off at half-time with a shoulder injury, and will be a big miss if he misses the rest of the tour
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England 21 New Zealand 24 player ratings Jerome Kaino – 7 Barrelling run in the first half produced Cruden’s try and his physicality in defence borders on the scary. Sacrificed for Mealamu when Coles was sin-binned
England 21 New Zealand 24 player ratings Richie McCaw – 9 Mr All Black was at his best as he constantly turned over English ball. Deserved his try which he did well to catch, and looked like a man who knew he’d always win come the final whistle
England 21 New Zealand 24 player ratings Kieran Read – 7 England did their best to keep him quiet but he continuously popped up lurking around the dangerous Savea
England 21 New Zealand 24 player ratings Replacements: Kevin Mealamu – Brought his experience to help All Blacks cope with 14-men. 6 Ben Franks – Didn’t cope with the fresh England front-row come the end of the match. 5 Charlie Faumuina – Spotted the smallest of gaps that a prop could fit through to score. 7 Patrick Tuipulotu – Introduced at half-time and put in some hefty tackles. 7 Liam Messam – Wasn’t given long due to the sin-bin. 6 T J Perenara – Didn’t show anything to suggest he’ll usurp Smith anytime soon. 5 Beauden Barrett – Kicking was poor but the weather played a big part. 5 Ryan Crotty – All Blacks didn’t enjoy any possession when he came on. 5
"I could not believe that a bunch of men half my age watching a rugby match in the 21st century could be capable of hurling such nasty, foul-mouthed, racist, homophobic abuse at an openly gay match official," read the letter published in The Guardian.
While the RFU stresses that allegations of abuse of any type at Twickenham are extremely rare, it states that it is taking the matter "very seriously".
"The RFU condemns all forms of discrimination and aims to ensure that all people, irrespective of their age, gender, ability, race, religion, ethnic origin, creed, colour, nationality, social status or sexual orientation, have a genuine and equal opportunity to enjoy rugby union in whatever form, on or off the pitch, at all levels and in all roles," an RFU spokesperson said.
Owens, considered to be among the sport's leading officials, has called for bans to be issued if the allegations are proven.
"If someone has gone to the trouble to send a letter to the paper and say that this was disgusting and the behaviour was totally out of order, then I would think what they shouted was pretty bad and if that is the case then these people should be banned from the game," Owens told The Daily Telegraph.
"They need to be told that some behaviour is not acceptable, that crossing the line of what is humour and banter is a fine line but if you cross it then you have to put up with the consequences."
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