RFU council member resigns over discriminatory Alphonsi comments

Rugby Football Union Council member Matt Smith has resigned over discriminatory online comments he posted about World Cup-winning former England international Maggie Alphonsi.Smith, the chair of Warwickshire RFU, has stood down from his position and therefore his role as the country's representative on the RFU Council over criticism made on Facebook during France's 48-46 men's Six Nations win over England in March.In a post which has since been deleted, he questioned what the television pundit, a 74-times-capped England flanker, knew about men's rugby.England star Ellie Kildunne to leave HarlequinsNot got Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream with no contractChoose the Sky Sports push notifications you wantA statement on Warwickshire RFU's website read: "On behalf of Warwickshire RFU, we would like to announce that Matt Smith has resigned from his position as chair of Warwickshire RFU, in light of a recent disciplinary process."The board has accepted his resignation and will begin work on finding a replacement chair and RFU Council member in the coming weeks."We recognise that this situation has raised important concerns and, as a constituent body, we want to be clear that we take issues of sexism and misogyny seriously."Creating a respectful, inclusive environment across our game remains a priority for us all."