Stuart Lancaster reacted to allegations yesterday that referee Nigel Owens was the subject of homophobic abuse at Twickenham by warning fans that such behaviour has no place in the game.

The Rugby Football Union is probing the claims made in a letter written to a national newspaper by a spectator who attended the 24-21 defeat by New Zealand in last Saturday’s opening QBE International.

“I could not believe that a bunch of men half my age watching a rugby match in the 21st century could be capable of hurling such nasty, foul-mouthed, racist, homophobic abuse at an openly gay match official,” read the letter published in the Guardian on Tuesday.

While the RFU continues to stress that allegations of abuse of any type at Twickenham are extremely rare, it stated on Thursday that it is taking the matter “very seriously.”

Owens has called for bans to be issued if the claims are proven and Lancaster has issued a reminder of the conduct expected of England supporters.

“I’m aware there’s an investigation going on and rightly so. We applaud the stance the RFU are taking and the investigation,” Lancaster said.

“We’ve worked hard in rugby to get the core values of the sport ingrained in the team and in rugby in general, so there is no place for this whatsoever.

“Certainly having met Nigel on Friday we wanted him to have an enjoyable experience coming to England and it’s a shame if he feels that memory has been tarnished by the allegation.

“We have got to understand the pressures that people are under and be supportive. That is all we want to achieve with referees.”

Lancaster has repeatedly called on England fans to play their role in turning Twickenham into a fortress knowing all but three matches of their knockout phase of next year’s World Cup are being staged at the venue.

But the 45-year-old went on to insist that the distinction between passionate support and abusive behaviour is easy to draw.

“Generally you want a crowd that is behind the team but respecting the core values of the sport,” Lancaster said.

“That balance should be easily achieved. That is what we feel the crowd give us — a huge amount of energy.”