Scelzo points at the crowd after the incident in the 58th minute

Alan Black, watching as a fan, aimed a blow at a Clermont player after getting involved in a fight between the players in Saturday's match against Wasps.

Black is employed by the Rugby Football Union but will not lose his position as a rugby leisure manager.

The ex-Wasps captain apologised and said he was ashamed of his behaviour.

The RFU said Black was interviewed by chief executive Francis Baron OBE "and given an appropriate employment sanction in accordance with our staff code of conduct".

The player brawl started in the 58th minute of the game after Clermont's Canadian flanker Jamie Cudmore landed a flurry of punches on Wasps prop Tim Payne, an incident which led to Cudmore being sin-binned.

Black leant across a barrier separating supporters from the pitch and reacted to the fracas by rolling up his match programme and striking a Wasps player, though it is believed he had intended to strike prop Martin Scelzo.

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Heineken Cup organisers, the European Rugby Cup, confirmed it would also investigate the incident.

Black did receive support from within the game, with the RFU receiving numerous letters and e-mails from "former colleagues, people he coached and assisted, current players and a member of the press".

Speaking after the game, Wasps captain Lawrence Dallaglio said: "Let's get it into perspective. A guy throws six punches and gets yellow-carded whereas another guy hits someone with a programme.

"The incident has to be taken in the context of what happened previously - a guy had thrown a load of punches."

Wasps head coach Shaun Edwards also said he had some sympathy for Black.

"The man felt threatened at the time - a guy had just come flying through and thrown six punches," he said.

"A civilian of 60-odd years of age would automatically feel threatened. In the end it's a programme."