The latest revelations published in the ERC’s judgements on the ‘Bloodgate’ scandal will do little to repair the tattered reputation of Dean Richards. The former Harlequins director of rugby’s role in the affair is laid bare in the damning document running to almost 100 pages.
Richards had "central control of everything that happened" and was the “directing mind”, according to the judgment of his appeal hearing.
Richards has been banned from all rugby for three years and Tom Williams, the player found guilty of faking the injury using a blood capsule, for four months. The club’s physio was banned from the game for two years while Harlequins were fined €300,000.
In the judgement, it was also revealed that Richards attempted to claim the ERC had no jurisdiction to bring any case against him as he had never signed a participation agreement. His position led to accusations that Richards was “ducking and diving” and trying to “wriggle his way out of his responsibilities” and were subsequently rejected.
Williams was given a fake blood capsule in an attempt to get goal kicker Nick Evans, who had earlier left the field injured, back into the action in the match last April.
Quins lost the game 6-5, and Williams received a 12-month suspension following the incident, which was subsequently reduced to four months on appeal.
“Mr Richards was the directing mind and had central control over everything that happened in relation to the fabrication of the blood injury on the pitch, and the cover-up in the days after the match,” the judgment concludes.
“In one of the highest profile matches in which the club had ever been involved, he was prepared to try to cheat Leinster out of a victory by bringing on a player at a crucial stage in the match when that player was not entitled to return to the field of play.
“His (Richards) was the dominant personality and influence on affairs. He instigated the cover-up to the extent of requiring Mr Brennan to fabricate statements and then refining the fabrications to ensure that all statements were consistent.
“We considered the primary interest of Mr Richards was in preventing his own role in events being discovered.”
Harlequins escaped any further punishment following a board meeting of the ERC yesterday, with the European authorities explaining they were happy to abide by the appeals panel’s decision.
There had been speculation the club could have been kicked out of Europe for a season.
