EXETER Chiefs winger Jack Nowell has been fined £10,000 by the Rugby Football Union for criticising a refereeing decision on Twitter.

Nowell made the comments after team-mate Olly Woodburn was controversially red carded by referee Karl Dickson during the Chiefs' heavy defeat at Leicester on Sunday – a decision that received massive criticism across the rugby fraternity.

The 30-year-old accepted his post prejudiced the game when appearing in front of an independent disciplinary panel last night.

He has to undertake a referees' course, with the fine being donated to charity.

Nowell said Dickson's decision to show Woodburn a second yellow card for diving on Leicester winger Chris Ashton to try and prevent him scoring a try was "one of the worst decisions" he had ever seen.

"I'm actually in shock, like shock shocked. What the hell is happening? That's one of the worst decisions I've ever seen. EVER," he wrote.

Nowell later deleted the tweet, which was posted to his 61,000 followers on Sunday.

"Respect for match officials – even if we disagree with their decisions, indeed especially if we disagree with their decisions – is a core part of rugby union. It is not a value that we can turn on and off when we choose," said panel chair Matthew O'Grady.

"Mr Nowell accepted his tweet, which was viewed many hundreds of thousands of times, was not fair comment and crossed the line of what is acceptable by a person with his considerable status in the game."

The fact that Nowell has not been banned will come as a relief to both player and club.

It means he can play in the Chiefs' final home game of the season, against Bristol Bears on Saturday, before Nowell's move to La Rochelle this summer.

He will also be available for Chiefs' Champions Cup semi-final against La Rochelle in Bordeaux the following weekend.