Speaking against the motion, RFU board member Wayne Barnes strenuously defended Sweeney’s record in his six years in the role, and said his departure would leave a significant void at the top of English rugby.

“He takes all of those relationships, that experience and that influence with him,” Barnes said.

“The void would be filled by someone who does not know the landscape.”

Barnes also insisted the majority of referees did not back the motion, despite the Rugby Football Referees’ Union [RFRU] bringing the motion in the first place.

“This is a time for rugby to now come together,” Barnes said.

“I really hope we can start to celebrate the enormous positives there are in the game.”

However, speaking on behalf of the RFU board, Barnes pledged the powers-that-be will continue to listen to the game in a bid to end months of discord and heal the cracks in English rugby.

“There is clearly a lot of work to be done to restore our relationship with the community game,” he added.

“We need to focus on restoring trust.”

Through the course of a 58-minute discussion, various club members, constituent bodies, council and board members spoke up either in support or defence of the motion, before the vote was taken.

The motion received 466 votes against it, 206 voted for it, with 36 abstaining.

A second motion, which was brought forward by the RFU board, called for the expedition of governance reform, devolving more power to the community game.

“These reforms will represent a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to change the RFU,” said Paula Carter, RFU board member and council member for Surrey.