The former Manly, Souths and Warriors rugby league player Phil Bake has been banned for six months by England's Rugby Union disciplinary panel after he was found guilty of two breaches of anti-corruption and betting rules in England.
The former NRL player Phil Blake playing for the Warriors in the Winfield Cup, 1995. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
The 51-year-old Australian was found guilty of placing a bet on a European Champions Cup rugby union match between Toulon and Leicester in December last year, and also betting on an English Premiership match between Newcastle and Leicester in March.
Blake, who was also fined 1,300 dollars - the profit made on the bets placed - and ordered to pay costs of a thousand dollars, will be barred from rugby-related activity until November 24th this year.
Blake, who left Leicester in April, was found guilty by an RFU panel of charges related to eight separate bets.
London-born Blake has coached in both rugby codes and had a spell as defence and skills coach with the Australia union side when Robbie Deans was in charge.
He was appointed by Leicester in June 2014, having been head coach of rugby union side Manly.
Christopher Quinlan QC, chairman of the RFU Disciplinary Panel said: "This is the first such case that we know of in rugby union and is certainly the first brought under the relatively new Regulation 17, so this is new ground.
"In arriving at the appropriate sanction we have been careful to remind ourselves that we must not make an example of Phil Blake.
"We have sought to strike a proper balance between the competing factors and arrive at a sanction we consider to be just.
