Leicester Tigers have stated that they "remain disappointed" with the Rugby Football Union following the amended suspension for director of rugby Richard Cockerill.

The 42-year-old was issued with a nine-match ban for confronting the fourth official during a 37-17 victory over Northampton Saints in May.

The club appealed the ban, but instead of the RFU reducing the number of suspended games, the governing body have opted to move the dates forward, meaning that friendlies against Jersey and Ulster are included.

A statement from the Tigers' said: "We are pleased that the judgement vindicated our decision to appeal and we are grateful to the panel for the consideration that they showed.

"Although we await with interest the written judgement to see why the pre-season game against Montpellier falls into a different category than those against Jersey and Ulster.

"We remain disappointed with the RFU's conduct in this matter but, as we have previously stated, this is a matter we shall pursue privately. The focus now is on the remainder of our pre-season and our preparations for the start of the new season."

The ban will run until October 18 following the club's clash against Treviso in the Heineken Cup.