CHINNOR have condemned a group of fans who allegedly directed abuse at the referee after their last-minute defeat to Birmingham Moseley.

The Thame-based side were beaten 29-27 at Kingsey Road on January 22.

The hosts paid for an undisciplined performance, with Moseley awarded a penalty try in the last play to take victory in National League 1.

Chinnor have since received a report from the Rugby Football Union (RFU) that a group of supporters were ‘verbally insulting to the referee and his assistants’ at full-time.

Following an internal review, the club revealed the complaint ‘has merit’.

A statement said: “The officials in this instance were not treated with the respect that we at Chinnor RFC Thame expect from our followers or they deserve.

“We have also fallen short of one of the stated ambitions in our club strategy, namely the creation of an unrivalled matchday experience.

“We take responsibility for this lapse in standards, which is likely to be harmful to our reputation and our standing in the sport and the community.”

Chinnor have appealed for those involved to come forward so the club can ‘close this matter, take our punishment, learn from it, and move on’.

They are putting together a response to the RFU.