Wed, Aug 19, 2009 page19

• Richards banned for three years over ‘bloodgate’

  • AFP
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  Former Harlequins rugby director Dean Richards was banned from coaching for three years by an independent European Rugby Cup (ERC) disciplinary committee in Glasgow on Monday.

  The ban, imposed after nearly 14 hours deliberation, for Richards’ role in Harlequins’ “bloodgate” row, applies to European competitions.

  But the ERC will request that, in line with standard rugby union policy, it applies worldwide.

  Monday’s hearing revealed that there had been four previous occasions in non-ERC tournaments when Richards and team physio Steph Brennan had fabricated a wound or blood injury.

  Tom Williams, the player at the center of the scandal, saw Monday’s hearing reduce his 12-month playing ban to four months.

  Brennan, now working for the Rugby Football Union, England’s national governing body, was banned from European competitions for two years after admitting his part in the affair on Monday.

  But team doctor Wendy Chapman, cleared at the initial hearing, saw a three-man panel, chaired by Scotland’s Rod McKenzie, take no action against her because it said it lacked jurisdiction under the rules in this case.

  English Premiership side Harlequins saw their fine increased from 250,000 euros (US$352,850) to 300,000 euros. This is now to be paid in full by Dec. 1 after 50 percent of the initial fine was suspended.

  Ex-England No 8 Richards resigned as Quins boss last week following the fall-out from the incident where Williams used fake blood during a European Cup quarter-final against eventual champions Leinster on April 12 to create the appearance of a cut in his mouth in order to allow a substitute onto the field.

  “I had to hold my hands up,” Richards, who also played for the British and Irish Lions, said after Monday’s hearing.

  Meanwhile Williams, free to resume playing on Nov. 20, apologized and said he hoped his case would serve as a warning to other players.

  Reading from a statement, the 25-year-old said: “I sincerely regret the role that I’ve played in this unacceptable incident that has done so much damage to the image of rugby union. I let down my team-mates and the club’s fans, and I’ll have to live with those actions for the rest of my career.”

  “In deciding to come clean and do the right thing, I’ve tried honestly to rectify this mess and repay the good faith shown in me by my friends and family,” he said.

  The winger, who thanked the panel for reducing his ban, added: “However, I also realize the grave error of judgment that I have made.”

  The winger went on: “I hope that, as a result of this episode, no player or employee will ever be put in such a compromised position, and if they are then they will always tell the truth, as I had wish I had done from the outset. It is now my desire to draw a line under this matter and return to training alongside my team-mates and friends at Harlequins and make a meaningful contribtution to restoring the tarnished image of the club.”

  An ERC statement issued after Monday’s hearing said Williams’ ban had been reduced after the player’s new evidence revealed the roles played by Richards and Brennan in fabricating the blood injury, as well as disclosing details of the subsequent cover-up.

  Williams was banned last month by an initial ERC hearing which cleared Richards, Chapman and Brennan.

  But the verdicts on the three officials were challenged by ERC disciplinary officer Roger O’Connor while Williams appealed against his ban.

  One saving grace for Quins was the committee’s decision not to expel them from next season’s European Cup.

  A Harlequins statement issued on Monday said: “Whilst the club are pleased that Tom Williams’ ban has been reduced, we feel this is a very significant penalty in terms of a fine. We will now continue with our internal review into all aspects of the business to ensure that we have the most stringent compliance and robust policies and processes in place throughout the club and work towards rebuilding our reputation on and off the field.”

  Richards, 46, who guided Leicester, the club where he made his name as a player, to two European Cups and four English titles before being sacked in 2004, helped Quins bounce back from relegation to English rugby’s second tier to runners-up last term in the Premiership’s regular season.
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