Newcastle Falcons director of rugby Dean Richards has said that the possibility of Ealing Trailfinders pursuing legal action if they are denied the chance to win promotion from the Championship is “distasteful”.

Leaders Falcons were 18 points clear of Ealing when the RFU called off the season because of coronavirus.

Ealing director of rugby Ben Ward has said his club are taking legal advice.

But Falcons boss Richards said it “reflected very poorly” on Ealing.

The fallout comes after the RFU decided to end the season for all levels below the Premiership on Friday.

Richards added in a statement: “At a time of national crisis we should be focusing all our attention on helping the most vulnerable, both within our own organisations and in wider society, rather than instructing legal representation.

“Difficult decisions have to be made in these unprecedented times, when people’s lives and livelihoods are being lost.

“If Ealing’s primary concern is whether they can bridge the 18-point gap between our two teams to gain promotion, then that reflects very poorly on them considering everything else going on in the world right now.”

The RFU have said they will conduct a review to decide the outcome of the 2019-20 season, where Newcastle had won all their 15 games.

Ward told The Rugby Paper: “We are taking counsel at the moment from a legal perspective as to what our position is.

“We’ve still got to play Newcastle and we have a game in hand, so while they look like they’re far ahead, the gap could quickly close.”

Richards said Falcons “fully appreciate” that having a RFU review is “not a perfect situation”.

“But these are not perfect times,” he added. “Anyone with any sense of reason or fairness can see what should happen, but rather than using the pages of a national publication to discuss legal action we will just allow this process to reach a logical conclusion.

“There are more important focuses for our attention and resources at this incredibly testing time, which makes Ealing’s public position all the more distasteful.”