Matthew Smith has been stripped of the perks of his Rugby Football Union council role for seven months after a Facebook post that targeted Maggie Alphonsi with sexist language during England’s 48-46 loss to France in March. The punishment removes his tickets to England games, free meals and travel expenses, but stops short of forcing him off the council.
The decision is drawing attention now because Alphonsi has said she feels let down by the outcome and believes the sanction does not go far enough. Smith can still remain on the RFU’s 62-strong council, a fact that leaves the central question of discipline unanswered even after a three-person panel found he breached the body’s code of conduct.
Smith’s post, written while the match was unfolding, asked: “can someone please explain to me WTF does Maggie Alphonsi know about men's rugby?” The code of conduct takes a zero-tolerance approach to discrimination and harassment and bars public comments that could damage the game or the RFU’s reputation, so the panel’s finding was not a close call. Smith, who represents Warwickshire on the council, removed the post, accepted the charges against him and later sent Alphonsi a letter of apology.
Alphonsi said the sanction left her disappointed because Smith is still allowed to serve as a council member. “He is now not allowed to attend Allianz Stadium and access his privileges, but can still actively serve as a council member,” she said. She also said, “I am extremely disappointed with this,” adding that it showed “sexism and misogyny still exists within the game and it's important it is stamped out and called out.”
That reaction carries extra weight because Alphonsi has spent years breaking barriers in the same sport. She played for England 74 times, was part of the side that beat Canada to win England’s second Women’s Rugby World Cup in 2014, and became the first female former player to work on men’s Test rugby in the UK when she appeared on ITV Sport’s 2015 Rugby World Cup coverage. She was later elected to the RFU council in 2016, becoming the first female former player to do so, and served for nine years. Since retiring, she has also worked for Sport and written for the Daily Telegraph.
Smith tried to soften the blow in his apology, saying he had “no intent of causing any offence” and that he had made “an error of judgement” while under “personal stress and anxiety.” But the outcome leaves him in the room and simply without the benefits, which is why Alphonsi’s criticism is likely to keep the case alive inside rugby’s governing structures. The sanction has been imposed; the wider judgment on whether it was enough has not.
