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Rob Howley, former assistant coach to the Welsh rugby union team, has been suspended from the sport for 18 months, with nine suspended, after admitting to breaching anti-corruption and betting regulations.
Howley was found to be in breach of World Rugby Anti-corruption and Betting Regulations – known as regulation 6, which states – “No connected person shall, directly or indirectly, bet and/or attempt to bet on the outcome or any aspect of any Connected Event and/or receive and/or attempt to receive part or all of the proceeds of any such bet and/or any other benefit in relation to a bet.”
After news of the betting breaches came to light in September, Howley was sent home from the Rugby World Cup six days before Wales’ opening pool win against Pool D opponents Georgia. This resulted in his premature departure from the Welsh Rugby set-up after 11 years.
It was discovered that Howley placed 363 bets in 45-month period dating back to 2015, on rugby union games via accounts with Betway, William Hill and Ladbrokes. These bets were placed using the mobile phone given to him in his role as assistant coach and using his Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) email address.
Howley lost £4,000 due to personal bets. He has also admitted to placing two bets on individual players on the Welsh side. However, an independent panel, chaired by Sir Wyn Williams, found that players had no knowledge of the bets placed by Howley.
The nine-month suspension is backdated to the time of his initial withdrawal from coaching duties, on 16 September, meaning he will be able to return to the game on or after 16 June, 2020.
