Saturday 18 August 2018 08:05, UK
Gloucester have criticised the RFU's disciplinary charge for Danny Cipriani and accused them "singling out" the fly-half in an unprecedented manner.
The governing body have charged the 30-year-old for "conduct prejudicial to the interests of the game" after he pleaded guilty to common assault and resisting arrest in an incident outside a nightclub earlier this week.
Cipriani charged by RFU
Cipriani 'truly sorry' for assault
The decision has angered his club, whose chief executive claims they were given "personal assurance from the RFU that no disciplinary discussions would take place until we had completed our own conversations".
CEO Stephen Vaughan said: "We are surprised and extremely disappointed to have received notification of disciplinary action against Danny Cipriani by the RFU.
"Yesterday afternoon I received personal assurance from the RFU that no disciplinary discussions would take place until we had completed our own conversations.
"With the team in Belfast for tomorrow's pre-season friendly against Ulster, we had indicated that this would be carried out early next week following the team's return.
"There is no historic precedent of a player being singled out in this manner, and we feel that this disciplinary process has been influenced by the significant media coverage of this week's events and other external factors and not based on the actual facts of the matter.
"We do not believe that this decision and the subsequent unnecessary public attention that will now follow it is in the best interests of either the RFU, the club, the player nor the game in general."
Cipriani - left out of Gloucester's squad for their friendly against Ulster on Saturday - has publicly apologised for the incident, describing himself as "truly sorry" and "mortified" following a court appearance on Thursday.
The England international was fined £2,000 and ordered to pay £250 to a police officer after pleading guilty to the offences, which occurred in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
