International league referee suspended

A - International rugby league referee Richard Silverwood has been stood down pending a probe by the governing body.

Englishman Silverwood, who has refereed the Kangaroos eight times including the 2013 World Cup final, has not officiated since last month when he was suspended.

"I can confirm Richard Silverwood is suspended pending the outcome of an internal investigation," a spokesman for the Rugby Football League (RFL) said.

While it's unknown what Silverwood - the Super League's most experienced referee - is being investigated for, it's the third time he has been suspended.

In 2011, Silverwood was dropped following an off-field incident at a match between Huddersfield and Leeds and in 2009 he was suspended for what the RFL described as an alleged breach of its information technology policy.

Fellow referee Sam Ansell has also been suspended as he awaits the results of an internal investigation.