Newcastle Falcons

Burrell, 32, said racism is "rife" in the sport, with racist "banter" becoming "normalised" among team-mates.

Falcons had already launched their own internal investigation to determine whether the racism he experienced happened while at the Premiership club.

However, the club says it will now be conducted by the RFU.

Ex-England centre Burrell was released by the Falcons in June after two seasons.

It was reported last week in France that the giant prop had signed for the ProD2 side, reports that prompted Richards to refute the claims on Wednesday: “I spoke to him yesterday [Tuesday] and he said he hasn’t signed anywhere. You know as well as I do that boys put things out there and they try either to speculate or force people hands by saying they have signed or are going to sign. I never look at the speculation and always speak to the individual. That is how I deal with it.

Sinoti’s ankle-breaking sidesteps and ability to beat defenders from a standing start made him one of the clubs most entertaining and effective attacking threats. He scored 23 tries in 110 appearances and created many more for his teammates since joining the club in 2013.

It is unclear what lies in the immediate future for 35-year-old Samoan, who has appeared nine times for his country.