The Plot thickens...

[gingergenius]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (O'Rothlain @ Aug 14 2009, 04:23 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (feicarsinn @ Aug 14 2009, 09:18 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Wasps. They finally don't make it into Europe and it seems like they're getting every chance possible to sneak back in. First through the ECC final last year and now this.[/b]

Ah, right...I was hoping for a team out of nowhere like London Scottish.
[/b][/quote]

God no, the Scots are a bunch of arseholes. They groundshare with my team, stole our coach at the beginning of last season and using Ian McGeechan's connections managed to get pros like Amor and Volley plus others to win them every game last season (in a semi-pro/ amateur league). What's more their home games have f***ing badly played bagpipes droning away THROUGHOUT.

 

[shazbooger]

Jesus this one is is in danger of running away with itself. The telegraph have had some great coverage of it.

First of all Tom Williams is admitting that his mouth was intentionally cut in order to cover up the blood capsule episode after the match: here

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div>

Informed sources have told Telegraph Sport that Williams's extraordinary allegation is included in a new witness statement prepared ahead of his appeal against a one-year ban, which will be heard by a European Rugby Cup disciplinary tribunal on Monday. In his statement Williams is understood to claim that his mouth was cut with a scalpel in the treatment room at the Twickenham Stoop, minutes after the game ended. The wound was an attempt to make real the injury which the wing faked to get substituted in the dying minutes of Quins' match against the Irish side.

A source told the Telegraph: "The understanding is that there was never a real injury, but that a cut might have been administered to the mouth of Williams afterwards."[/b]

Another decent column looks at the potential cost for Harlequins should they be kicked out of the tournament:here

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div>

The cost of this all to Quins is stratospheric. If they are thrown out of this year's competition then Quins will also be forced to pay back approximately 15 per cent of this season's season ticket money. The club will also suffer a huge loss in revenue from those cancelled matches. The total cost of expulsion from the European Cup is in the region of £900,000, not to mention the losses suffered by fans who have already booked their trip to Toulouse and other places. When you add in the legal costs of both parties, the Quins bill would come to around £1.5 million, about 15 per cent of turnover. In relative terms that would be like fining Manchester United £25 million.[/b]

It finishes on a good point, though I'm not sure i'm fully in agreement

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div>

Furthermore if ERC do decide to impose additional penalties, then what club in the future will ever undertake its own internal review? Quins investigated the incident and as a result their director of rugby Dean Richards resigned.He is a massive loss to Quins. But if the upshot of Quins internal inquiry is to be further sanctions from outside, what club will bother in the future? Rugby will be even muckier than it is now.

Quins have apologised to Leinster, they have apologised to ERC, they have conducted an internal review.

They have been fined, tarred and feathered. Enough is enough.[/b]

Personally I cant help wonder what would have happened if Nick Evans did manage to get a drop goal, and the cheat was successful. The ERC would be performing the same investigation with the same results, Leinster would be suing for damages and you can assume the ERC would have been more aggressive with their penalties. The concept of Harlequins running into financial difficulties over this is a bit sad, especially for the fans but the club tried to cheat, they failed then went and covered it up. Further more they denied it happened at all before finally admitting it.

 

[shtove]

Cut with a scalpel afterwards? I guess that required the team doctor's involvement ... or maybe Richards stormed in to the dressing room and stabbed him with the first thing that came to hand.

Quins need to be hit very hard for this. If Williams co-operates during his appeal, then give him leniency.

I don't take the point about internal reviews. Self regulation is a conspiracy against the public.

 

[shazbooger]

Dean Richards banned from coaching for 3 years. Holy f***ing christ! More to come.........

 

[Bullitt]

Good. Serves him right.

 

[best_fullback]

Sky Sports breaking news just in:

• Dean Richards banned from coaching for 3 years
• Tom Williams 12 month ban reduced to 4 month
• Physio Steph Brennan given 2 year ban

 

[St Helens RLFC]

THREE years?!

 

[Bullitt]

Cheaters never prosper. And Dean Richards is the biggest cheat of them all, as both a player and as a coach (Leicesters now infamous tactics).

 

[St Helens RLFC]

Did Leicester do things like this?

 

[Bullitt]

Nothing like this, but they're well known for cheating (constant collapsing of scrums etc) and thuggery. This especially came to the forfront while Deano was there as a player then coach. Up and down the land we all sing "Same old Leicester, Always cheating".

Looks like a leopard never changes its spots.

The real sad part is what the Quins fans will be going through right now.

 

[O'Rothlain]

I'm disgusted by the whole incident. A bunch of f___ing p_ssies! I thought men played rugby? Harlequins ran out of them somewhere around halftime it seems.
Blood Capsuls, cutting oneself to coverup...disgraceful and cowardace...F___ING COWARDS!
They should be forced to let the RL side be the only team with the Harlequins name...

 

[stevemagoo]

Fine increased to 300k with none of it suspended - needs to be paid by Dec 1st

 

[Bullitt]

Originally posted by Jed Thain
Deano! If you can't win by cheating, you don't deserve to win...

:lol:

 

[shazbooger]

From the BBC news article;
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div>

Former England forward Richards, was also found to have been involved in four similar incidents, hence the severity of his punishment.[/b]

Or the lead-in from the telegraph;
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div>

Dean Richards's rugby career lay in tatters on Monday night after he was banned for three years from participation in the European game for orchestrating a systematic cheating regime that saw Harlequins fake blood injuries on at least five separate occasions.[/b]

 

[Olyy]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Logorrhea @ Aug 18 2009, 10:24 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

scandal.html"]telegraph[/url];
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE

Dean Richards's rugby career lay in tatters on Monday night after he was banned for three years from participation in the European game for orchestrating a systematic cheating regime that saw Harlequins fake blood injuries on at least five separate occasions.[/b]

[/b][/quote]
So does that mean he's banned from the HEC or from the Rugby in general? The "European Game" has thrown me off a little :S

 

[Bullitt]

Rugby in general. The Torygraph is never clear when it comes to the details.

 

[shazbooger]

An ERC penalty can only really apply to European (or ERC) competitions. However its assumed that the IRB will make it a global ban.

 

[Daylightfire]

Well now the Judgement has come down,,

Hopefully now Quins can look to the new seasons and try to rebuild from this mess.

Actually starting to look forward to the start now all this is over with.

Interested to see who they bring in,, if anyone.

 

[O'Rothlain]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Logorrhea @ Aug 18 2009, 06:04 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

An ERC penalty can only really apply to European (or ERC) competitions. However its assumed that the IRB will make it a global ban.[/b]

So they won't even let him coach children's tag rugby in ethiopia?

GOOOOD!

 

[Bullitt]

<div align='center'>http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/my_club/harlequins/8207851.stm

Cheer up Dean Richards,
Oh what can it mean?
To a... Banned, cheating ******* and...
No rugby teeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeam!

The International Rugby Board has extended the ban on former Harlequins boss Dean Richards to all competitions around the world.</div>