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RFU urged England players to pay off maid

RFU urged England players to pay off maid
© PA Photos
Three England players were advised to pay a hotel maid off after allegedly sexually harassing her at the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.

The RFU allegedly told three England players to pay a hotel maid NZ$30,000 (£14,350) to buy her silence after claims that they sexually harassed her during the World Cup.

James Haskell and Chris Ashton were later fined and suspended by the RFU, while Dylan Hartley was cleared of any wrongdoing.

However, according to a report into the World Cup campaign leaked to The Telegraph, the players were first advised by England staff to pay Annabel Newton off.

The chambermaid eventually sold her story to a Sunday newspaper.

"Two days before the Scotland game, WC (understood to be to be Will Chignall, the RFU's head of media) says you've got 24 hours to decide whether to settle with the girl for NZ$30,000 or not," read one player's feedback in the leaked notes.

"Paying the money seemed to be the advice. Another option wasn't really given.

"We refused to pay because we hadn't done what she claimed we had done. So we went to find our own lawyers in NZ because we felt the RFU QC was interested in defending the RFU's reputation rather than ours."

RFU director Rob Andrew has refused to resign from his post following a series of revelations about the organisation and the England team.

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Mike Tindall
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