Harlequins ‘Bloodgate’: The Scandal that almost Ruined Rugby
It seems the desire to win at any cost is really getting out of hand in the world of sports at the moment. We can see many examples of this all over the place, with doping allegations in cycling to ball tampering in cricket to the latest sport to be hit by cheating: rugby. The ‘Bloodgate’ scandal that took place last season in the Rugby Union has put a black mark on the entire sport and it will take many years for it to recover from it. This was the first time that a faked injury scandal had been unearthed in the sport and it led to a lot of heads rolling.
2009 was supposed to be a very good year for the sport of rugby. The sport was one of two finalists that were awaiting confirmation to be named as the next Olympic sport. This was a very exciting time for everyone involved in rugby, and then the ‘Bloodgate’ scandal hit. The incident took place at the quarterfinal match of the 2009 Heineken Cup between the Harlequins and Leinster, with the Quins trailing Leinster 6-5. The Harlequins needed a specialist kicker on the field with five minutes left in the game, but having used their substitutes and losing one player to injury, the only way they could send a kicker in was if another player got injured. A plan was hatched by the director of rugby for the Harlequins, Dean Richards, and player Tom Williams. The plan was simple: a fake blood capsule would be given to Williams, who would then be sent off the field and in his place a kicker would be sent in. It went down without a hitch except that Williams got worried at the last minute and asked the team doctor to cut his lip for real with a scalpel in case officials decided to check his injury. Initially, the case was dropped against Richards, the team doctor Wendy Chapman and the team physio Steph Brennan because of a lack of evidence, but then Williams came forward to try and get his one year suspension reduced and the lid was blown off the whole dodgy affair.
It turned out that Williams had asked Chapman to cut his lip for real and then Richards was told about the incident eight days later. He then orchestrated a cover-up plan with Williams that was fed to the media. The consequences for all those involved were not good; Richards was banned from rugby for three years and Williams was also banned. Recently, the physio quit from his post as well. This was an all round shameful display from a team in the sport and it tarnished the image of rugby. The governing body of the Rugby Union is all set to bring in some serious changes that will see fake injuries banished from the game. One of the changes proposed is to allow an opposing team’s doctor to check a player before he is sent off the field.
The team’s doctor could not be banned and no action could be taken for the role she played in the dodgy affair because she was not directly a part of Rugby Union. However, it turns out justice does prevail in the end, as Chapman is reportedly being investigated by a medical board to see if she is fit to practice medicine after news of her role in the scandal came to light. The General Medical Council will determine later on whether Wendy Chapman should continue to practice.
The desire to win at times overpowers a team’s senses. Everyone gets caught up in it, and while this in no way excuses it or justifies it, one needs to understand why it happens. The Harlequins were on their way to a first semifinal place if they had won, and thankfully they did not in the end. This led the team, its director, the physio and its doctor to forget their code of ethics and their moral responsibilities and do everything they could to win. It is a good sign to see that all those involved in the scandal were sent packing except for the dodgy player, Williams. The person at the heart of the scandal got his punishment reduced to 4 months from 12 because he came clean about the affair. Does someone like that deserve to play professional sports? A lot of people would say no. Hopefully, rugby can rid itself of this sordid affair and become the immensely popular game it once was.
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