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This one’s a beauty. Back in April, in the Heineken Cup quarter final at The Stoop, just down the road from Twickenham, Harlequins hosted eventual champions Leinster in a fierce, desperately tough contest.
Very late in the game, with Leinster leading 6-5, Quins were desperate to get the inspirational Nick Evans back on the field after he had already been subbed through injury.
According to IRB rules they could only do so to replace a player with a blood injury. Up steps young winger Tom Williams spurting claret from his mouth.
As he walks off the pitch, the camera captures him giving out a cheeky wink to a teammate.
At the time, Leinster officials were furiously remonstrating with the match officials, but to no avail, believing the injury to be dubious at best. In the end, Quins worked Evans into position for his drop goal in the 80th minute but he missed.
Had it gone through, it would have cost Leinster massively – not just cold cash but their reputation as pretty boys unable to graft the hard yards would hang even heavier around their necks. In the end, justice was served and they went on to take out the title in Edinburgh.
According to former Ireland prop Paul Wallace: “I saw Tom Williams kneel down and move his hand from his sock to his mouth before he came off,” he said. “To my mind, this is a clear case as there did not appear to be contact between Williams and anyone else. I am not qualified to know about things such as vegetable dye, but it didn’t look like the colour of blood you get from a mouth injury. There was a little trickle, then it gushed out after he took a sip of water.”
Add to this Williams put on an entirely unnecessary limp while trudging off as if to prove he really was injured!
Three months later Williams finds himself suspended for a staggering 12 months. What is staggering is not his suspension, per se, but that his co-accused Dean Richards (coach) plus the physio and club doctor got off scot-free.
So a number of questions have been left unanswered:
1) Did Williams act alone – surely not? The verdict indicates the ERC judiciary thinks so.
2) Did Quins enter the game with such a strategy up their sleeve? Did Williams?
3) What exactly happened – did he bite his cheek to make himself bleed? Was he genuinely bleeding? Did he fake it?
This is surely the strangest case of cheating in rugby I’ve come across in a long time, most of which is captured here.
Make up your own mind, but if Harlequins are to appeal Williams’ ban they will surely have to reveal a little more of what really happened.
Of course, they will do no such thing. Williams is sufficiently low-profile to be the sacrificial lamb they need.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.