Richmond rugby’s head coach Mike Panoho has stepped down from his role just two months after the side were forced out of the Premier 15s.

The club were subjected to a re-tendering process by the Rugby Football Union in February and learned in April they would not be in the top flight of women’s rugby for the next three years. 

Firwood Waterloo also lost out as Exeter Chiefs and Sale Sharks joined the league.

Panoho had been working for the club for the past two seasons and was at the helm for the 2019/20 season. The reason behind his resignation has not been confirmed.

The club released a statement saying: "We would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank Mike for all his hard work and efforts over the last two seasons, especially as Head Coach throughout the 2019/20 season.

“We wish Mike the very best for the future and thank him again for his services to our club.”