Maidstone Rugby Club have dropped their appeal against their fine and penalty given to them after an opponent lost his sight in his right eye in a match.
The club was given a £2,000 fine and a 50 point deduction after Gravesend player Clarence Harding was left permanently blind in his right eye following an alleged eye gouge against him.
Having planned to appeal against the sanctions given to them, Maidstone abandoned their appeal shortly after the start of the hearing on Thursday 3 March.
Originally, Maidstone player Matt Iles was held responsible for the attack, which occurred in January 2010, however an RFU hearing later that year found that there was not enough evidence to charge him.
With his club then found liable, they felt they had a "strong case" in their appeal, though Chairman Andy Golding said: "the outcome was decided from the moment we stepped through the door."
He added: "They rejected the points we made very early on in the process. We came to the decision that they were not going to take notice of our arguments. It was a waste of time."
For a full interview with Clarence Harding, filmed shortly before the hearing, see below.
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