I can't remember what I did last week whether I was suspicious of Wigan cheating 11 years ago.

Mind you, it being Wigan like....................................

It was common place in Australian Rugby League, and was the main reason why a blood bin was made a full substitution.

If that happened in RL you could probably rule out a large proportion of tires, from incorrect PTB. They'd soon learn though I guess

Funnilly enough I came in your pants as I typed it too.

exactly, i am sure in the days before tactical substitutions, players went off with 'a muscle pull' or 'a back problem', - the forethought of the blood capsules is the damning bit

I just thought I'd spilled brine from the Tuna tin down them.

i thought that too.they had a massive number of blood bins that night.
i read an ex players book once where he admitted the physio nicked them with a razor but i can't remember who the hell it was!!!!!

It sounds a reasonable idea, but it would potentialy lead to an attacking side (with a full front row) able to make as many mistakes, forward passes etc. as they liked and still retain the ball. I'd prefer to see the lineout used as a restart on those occaisions, at least you can contest it.

Saw a clip of the incident on SSN last night, which they said was previously un-released footage. It showed the player in question down on his haunches in backplay, with no other player in sight. He then reaches into his sock, puts his hand up to his face and suddenly there's blood coming out!

Puts a totally different slant on it in my opinion - deliberate, pre-meditated cheating by both the player and the club. I think he can consider himself fortunate to have had his ban reduced.

I agree, i thought he was in a difficult situation before seeing that footage and i think his ban should match the one richards received.

It does demonstrate how little physical contact the average Union winger endures in 75 minutes, that he can keep a blood capsule down his sock without it bursting.

This four month ban for the cheating player, how many games will he miss?

[iTelevision pictures appeared to show Williams winking at the bench as he went off.[/i

Alex Murphy (Wembley 1971) Ba5tard.

Depends, is it effective from the date of the offence, the date the initial ban was imposed or the date his appeal was heard?

If it's the middle one (which I imagine it would be) then he'll be out til around mid-November and the season starts next weekend doesn't it?

Still, it's done a good job of taking all the media attention away from all those coked-up Bath players and the recreational drug problem in the sport.

I'm sure I heard November mentioned in one of the reports, so I think you're right.

You're right in saying it deflects attention from the 5 players who were at Bath last season currently suspended due to drug testing violations.

It's not the strangest thing I've seen on a rugby pitch that didn't burst. One guy in a vets team we once played had a colostomy bag. Nobody on our team knew until after the game. If they had told us before kick off the guy would have set an all time try scoring record as nobody would have laid a finger on him.

Barrie Mac, said Karl Harrison had it done so Baz could return to the field, but he couldn't make the cut bleed, so had to stay on

thats it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ta mate, couldn't remember and it was bugging me

In wrestling, it's known as 'blading', and is failry common practice.

I disagree, we have no idea what duress Williams was put under by Richards to carry his plan out. If Williams had said no he could have easily been sidelined by Richards and effectivley taken out of the game for many months.

pdf of the bloodgate appeal if you can be bothered

[url=http://www.ercrugby.com/images/content/cupstandard/Tom_Williams_Independent_Appeal_Committee_Decision.pdfhere[/url


interesting stuff.

Also makes you wonder how many RU players are/were playing on similar visas to the Crusaders 6.
As I posted elsewhere how can anyone who watched Richards play be surprised that he is prtrayed as a domineering bully. It probably made him the player he was.

immense player, but doesn't come out of it very well there.

large scale ar$e covering going on.

Absolutely not & him an ex-copper too. Who'd have believed it?

I saw someone making reference to his former profession elsewhere, the mind boggles. A lot of people got backed into very uncomfortable corners from the sounds of it, with little regard for what it meant to them in their careers.

I was at a rugby (union) club meeting on Tuesday - he is not thought of very highly in those circles either, cheating is cheating in every sport, pressurising someone else to cheat for you is low.