The Rugby Football Union have confirmed that there will be no action taken against Leicester Tigers director of rugby Richard Cockerill following comments he made in the wake of last weekend's clash with Sale Sharks.
Tigers won 30-23 at Welford Road, but Cockerill later accused the Sharks of "cheating".
"In retrospect, and away from the heat of the moment immediately following a tense and important league fixture, Richard says he could have more accurately characterised his description of the incident as 'gamesmanship', and also that there was no intention to question the integrity of either the match referee or opposite number Steve Diamond, of Sale Sharks," read a statement from Leicester.
"Richard spoke in response to specific questions regarding events in the set of scrummages close to the Sale Sharks try-line which eventually led to the award of a penalty try to Leicester Tigers. He believed there was a deliberate attempt by the Sale front-row to not engage and/or withdraw from an engagement at the scrum in this phase of play, and in his view this was, potentially, an act of dangerous play and, therefore, potentially, a penalty offence and a yellow card.
"His comments about the referee were specific to that incident. Richard's view was that the match official, having previously refereed only seven Aviva Premiership fixtures, would not necessarily have come across this offence before."
Cockerill served a nine-week touchline ban for using obscene language towards the fourth official during last May's Aviva Premiership final against Northampton Saints at Twickenham.
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