SLOUGH Rugby Club head coach Darran Brown has described the decision to fix the result of a league game in collusion with the opposition team and match referee as “a moment of madness”.

The Tamblyn Fields club has been left reeling after it was punished by the Rugby Football Union (RFU) for jointly fixing the result of a match earlier this year - leaving Brown and another member of staff suspended from the sport, and the club deducted 25 points.

Last week, the Observer broke the news how their Berks, Bucks & Oxon Premier league match at Chipping Norton on February 6 was called off due to bad weather.

However, the coaches of both teams then hatched an agreement, with the referee, to record a 24-24 draw on the match card.

Mr Brown has since been handed a 20-week suspension by the RFU and, reacting to the ban, he described his actions as “naive”.

He said: “Frustration would certainly have played a part in the overall decision of what was initially said in jest, so I suppose I wasn’t thinking with a rational head.

“It was just a complete moment of madness. It was not rational thinking.

“There certainly was no intent to cheat any result, even though a lot of what people will see and read would make them think that way.

“It’s certainly not a part of my own make up to to do that.

“I have played for over 30 years and coached since 2008. I have set up college programmes and worked with the RFU in schools.

“Neither party looked on it as if we were cheating, however obvious it might look that way.

“I think it was naive to put the score that we did, as opposed to just abandoning the game and letting the powers-that-be make the decision whether it should be replayed or accepted.

“It was certainly a very silly and naive decision to make.”

Mr Brown revealed he had no intention to appeal the ban, describing any appeal as “hypocritical”.

But he denied there was any intention to cheat.

He added: “I need to take this on the chin and accept what I did, although what I did was in an honourable situation.

“It was a mistake and there was no intent in it.

“It was not a situation where we tried to con or cheat something. It was not very well thought through, which disappoints me personally.

“It was a mad moment situation and I got caught up in it. But it is important for people to understand the situation and to make up their own minds.

“Most people will understand that the situation was unfortunate.

“At the end of the day, the good thing is that the club has survived, and it will go on to be stronger and stronger.”