Sacked Tom Arscott found guilty of leaking tactical secrets to rivals – but escapes with a warning
Sacked former Sale wing Tom Arscott has been spared further punishment by the Rugby Football Union (RFU) despite an investigation finding him guilty of tipping off opponents Bristol with inside information.
The RFU concluded that Arscott leaked details of Sale’s line-out tactics to his brother, Bristol full-back Luke Arscott, and that the information was then passed to two of the club’s coaches.
But Tom Arscott, 29, has escaped with a written warning after the RFU deemed him to have suffered substantially already and found no evidence that the leak was linked to match-fixing or betting.
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“We have taken into account that Tom Arscott has already paid a heavy price for his conduct in having been dismissed from his employment by Sale Sharks,” said RFU head of discipline Gerard McEvilly.
The leak took place when Tom Arscott met his brother at the Bristol team hotel on New Year’s Eve.
The following day they won at Sale, beating their fellow Premiership strugglers 24-23.
The RFU said Tom Arscott’s behaviour had been “inappropriate” but found no evidence that Bristol had changed their tactics as a result of receiving the inside information.
“Although I am disappointed with the outcome, I would now like to draw a line under this episode,” said Tom Arscott, who was sacked by Sale after the club’s own investigation.
“I look forward to resuming my playing career as soon as possible.”