Quote:The Rugby Football League, meanwhile, has suspended Richard Silverwood, one of the six full-time referees employed by the governing body, because of an alleged breach of his colleagues' confidentiality.

Silverwood was conspicuous by his absence from the season's first full round of Super League fixtures at the weekend and an RFL spokesman confirmed today that he has been suspended indefinitely for "an alleged breach of IT policy". This is understood to involve supplying the personal details of fellow referees to a trade union without first receiving their permission. He declined to comment today.

It leaves Stuart Cummings, the RFL's controller of referees, with another headache shortly after the shock departure of the British game's leading official, Ashley Klein, for Australia.

Silverwood, 32, became the youngest ever referee for a leading fixture when he made his Super League debut in 2001 and was named Referee of the Year in 2006. His suspension left Cummings with only five full-time referees to cover the seven Super League matches at the weekend – one of them Thierry Alibert, the Frenchman who has been appointed to replace Klein on the full-time panel.

Quote:The Rugby Football League, meanwhile, has suspended Richard Silverwood, one of the six full-time referees employed by the governing body, because of an alleged breach of his colleagues' confidentiality.

Silverwood was conspicuous by his absence from the season's first full round of Super League fixtures at the weekend and an RFL spokesman confirmed today that he has been suspended indefinitely for "an alleged breach of IT policy". This is understood to involve supplying the personal details of fellow referees to a trade union without first receiving their permission. He declined to comment today.

It leaves Stuart Cummings, the RFL's controller of referees, with another headache shortly after the shock departure of the British game's leading official, Ashley Klein, for Australia.

Silverwood, 32, became the youngest ever referee for a leading fixture when he made his Super League debut in 2001 and was named Referee of the Year in 2006. His suspension left Cummings with only five full-time referees to cover the seven Super League matches at the weekend – one of them Thierry Alibert, the Frenchman who has been appointed to replace Klein on the full-time panel.