Rugby joins the rest in the gutter

[bunburyist]

Not sure if this has made much noise overseas, but the recent farce at Harlequins is going from bad to worse.

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For those who don't know, in a Heineken Cup match between English side Harlequins and Irish team Leinster, Quins were trailing Leinster 6-5 with 5mins left on the clock. Having already subbed their fly-half and kicker, Nick Evans, they found themselves without an established kick taker on the field. So Quins player Tom Williams, who has been given a blood capsule by the medical team, pulls it out of his sock, bites it and feigns a blood injury, so Evans can come back on. (edit: once a player is substituted in rugby, he can't come back on unless there is a 'blood-injury', i.e. one where the player cannot continue without treatment)

The Leinster management smell a rat, partly because the moron winks to his own bench as he strolls off, and kick up a fuss. Ref waves them away. Justice prevails however as Evans misses the kick and Leinster eventually go on to win the Cup.

Sky Sports then submit unseen footage of Williams using the capsule to the ERC, who then charge Williams, coach Richards, the doc and the physio. All four lie and deny the incident. Cue much frowning, and finally admissions. Williams is banned for one year, and Richards (ex-England player of great stature in the game) is banned for 3 years, globally. Medical team awaiting decisions. Several other games with blood-injuries are now under scrutiny.

Rugby has always been a hard game, often frequented by violent fools who enjoy eye-gouging and choking people in rucks, but I've never seen this level of dishonour brought by an actual club. This was a planned and executed attempt to cheat, approved by the head coach and doctor. I've often boasted how rugby was the only true gentleman's game left, where integrity was key, but it seems the pressure of money and prizes has finally got to it.

Sigh.

[bunburyist]

forgot to mention - the docs cut Williams' mouth afterwards to try and cover up the fake injury...

here

[theholmesmob]

I agree,completely and utterly disgraceful behavior from all involved. Whilst winning the match/season/championship is the goal of the season , surely and especially in Union I would hope that the values of playing the game fairly is one that is taken seriously.

I mean fairly in an eye gouging, exuberant rucking type of way!!

This behavior, often found in other professional codes much to everybody's disgust, makes it so much harder for this great game to compete for spectators.

Bloody idiots!!

[bunburyist]

aye - you just don't expect to see this sort of thing in union. Nor really in league to be honest.

this is quite a good piece, painful as it is, about rugby's fall from grace. Can't really argue with it tbh.

[El Presidente]

What a disgrace.

Coaches and management set the culture for the team and the club. All involved should be bannished for life.

I miss the days of amateur rugby when hard men played the game for honour of the jersey, honour to the game and its tradition, honour to your team mate and opposition. It was never perfect with under the counter payments and often the line between hardness and brutality being crossed. Still, core respect reined.

I played rugby union untl the age of 36. I played both here and overseas and they were some of the best years of my life. Since I stopped playing I have coached and I would like to do in the years ahead, a 3-5 year stint as a professional coach. Incidences like the ones portrayed here make me wonder if I am a dinosaur in the modern Rugby world.

[bunburyist]

What a disgrace.

Coaches and management set the culture for the team and the club. All involved should be bannished for life.

I miss the days of amateur rugby when hard men played the game for honour of the jersey, honour to the game and its tradition, honour to your team mate and opposition. It was never perfect with under the counter payments and often the line between hardness and brutality being crossed. Still, core respect reined.

I played rugby union untl the age of 36. I played both here and overseas and they were some of the best years of my life. Since I stopped playing I have coached and I would like to do in the years ahead, a 3-5 year stint as a professional coach. Incidences like the ones portrayed here make me wonder if I am a dinosaur in the modern Rugby world.

Aye. Funnily enough, Dean Richards was one of the iconic figures from the amateur era. His day job was a policeman,ironically enough. Such a good bloke, served Leciester and England so well, so to see this is a bit like finding out Santa runs an underground reindeer fighting ring. Bans for life? I guess so, although that's a little harsh on the winger, Williams. On the grounds that he may be young and dumb, I'd say one year is plenty.

Bearing in mind (although I know in legal terms it has no bearing), but if Burger and Parisse get just 8 weeks for eye-gouging......what the hell?

What's been interesting however, is that many ex-players (Carling, Dawson etc) have come out and said they're surprised by all the commotion, as this has been standard practice for some time. It has?!? I wonder if this problem is exclusive to the English game. I think in their eyes they compare it to football players rolling around pretending to be injured.

I don't know, I've played since I could run and still do, and the ethos has always been to play hard, play for your team, put your body on the line and do everything you can to win......but never cheat. In fact I don't ever remember seeing or being asked to do anything like this. Pres if you can impart onto the boys you coach the traditional values of rugby you'll have done a fine thing.

For those who don't know, rugby union was possibly the last major sport to hold onto amateur status, until finally succumbing in 1995. I remember watching England munch the Frenchies at Twickenham when the team consisted of guys who were lawyers, bricklayers, pilots and policemen during the week. It has a long and rich tradition of honour and integrity, so for those of us who love the game seeing things like this unfold is just painful.

[Ken Gargett]

it is an utter disgrace and reflects where the game/sport in general is headed/arrived. ban those behind it for life, definitely. as for the kid, he was probably under instructions from club coach/officials and if didn't comply then probably would not have been playing the next week. but certainly a few years ban at least.

one tends to give up on honour or ethics in sport when one sees this, the underhanded way that grub barnes acted, the hypocrisy of drugs in sport - if i see one aussie woman bang on about how unfair it all is that opponents were all on drugs and she was clean when i have mates who have seen her injecting herself, i will explode.

one of the disappointing thing about aussies in sport for me has been how quick we are to point the drugs bone at others - usually with justification (i mean who seriously believes that 95%plus of cyclists, athletes, swimmers, weightlifters etc etc, are not on drugs) yet defend our own often on nothing more than they are aussie and therefore would not do it.

[bunburyist]

it gets worse

With any luck, Quins will be forcibly relegated after this to set an example - bit like when Juventus were forced out of Serie A due to fraud. The Quins owner has even come out and said he accepts the wrongdoing, but thinks its unfair as everyone's at it. It pretty much leaves US College sports as the only major sporting comps without overpaid egotistical wankers in it.

There aren't many sports which are untouched by cheating now...maybe tennis? Perhaps the saviour will be in technology - drug scans which can test for use over much longer periods, hawk-eye cams everywhere.