Toulon prop Martin Castrogiovanni is under investigation after a foul-mouthed rant about Leicester Tigers director of rugby Richard Cockerill.

The former Leicester stalwart launched the astonishing attack following the European Champions Cup match between the two sides on Sunday. Castrogiovanni has since apologised for the rant, which centred on his decision to leave Leicester for Toulon and the subsequent comments made by Cockerill and Leicester.

'First of all I want to make amends for my profanity and apologise to everyone feeling offended by what I said, I'm sorry if my words have created misunderstandings,' he said in a statement.

'It also wasn't my intention to offend anyone, but only to point out my position after some statements.'

Castrogiovanni's Toulon teammate Delon Armitage is also being investigated for using offensive language at or near spectators.

The European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) disciplinary officer is now investigating both incidents to determine whether there are grounds to bring misconduct charges against the pair.

'Should the disciplinary officer decide that there are grounds to bring a misconduct complaint in respect of one or both of the incidents, the case or cases would be heard by an independent Disciplinary Committee under the Disciplinary Rules,' said a statement on the matter.

'In the meantime, both players are free to play.'

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