[url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/my_club/harlequins/8044453.stmMassive fine for faking an injury[/url

Probably get moved to other sports, but I feel a discussion about if the RFL would have the gonads to do similar could be interesting?

Whereas the RFL should have fined Quinz RL?
Bonzer!

I think they did it accidentally on purpose personally...

More like a balls up.
How can he be banned for 12 months and the south african guy who tried to removed the lions players eyes get 12 weeks???

Eight weeks if we're being pedantic.

<pedant> The RFU didn't issue the penalty </pedant>

There was once rumours that it was going on in Super League a few seasons back, then they changed the rules.

What a ridiculous punishment for such a minor wrong doing.

If the RFU "had balls", they would have also banned the trainer and coach who were also complicit in the event!

Somehow the player administered his own blood capsule which, if the trainer was innocent, he must have carried with him throughout the game.

The RFL recognised this years ago and so removed the free blood subs, but increased interchanges from 8 to 12.

It's even more interesting when you look at the number of instances where a team getting caned in the scrums manages to get two props "injured" so they can switch to uncontested, and yet escapes without sanction.

I wouldn't be surprised to see this reduced massively on appeal for both the player and the club.

any chance someone can explain to me why this has occured, not watching rah rah i can't say i can see whats wrong here, i know as mr gilder has pointed out about specialist prop replacements but i can't see what they've been fined for here, had they run out of subs or something?

How cool would that have looked if he had taken a big hit?

i dont see what they've done wrong either?? he appears to be bleeding in the picture and since when does winking universally mean theres some sort of trick going on? life isnt a cartoon

Once a player has been replaced in Union he can't return to the field unless it is to replace an injured player IIRC.

The tribunal has taken the view that Quins wanted a specialist kicker on the field (their two first choice kickers having already gone off) given the closeness of the game, and that a player faked a blood injury in order to get Nick Evans (a former All Black and Quins first choice kicker) back onto the field.

Had Williams not "faked" the facial injury then Evans would not have been able to come back on.

I don't think they got this right at all.

The key evidence is that the guy winked when he came off the field. What does that prove, he could have just been saying, I'm ok even though I'm in lots of pain.
The medical staff and coach have been exonerated so I can't see why they can charge the player.
I'd take it to appeal, I don't think they have a case.

aaahaaa, right, string em up by the balls in that case.

Ah, the good old days of blood bins.

I know a trainer (amateur level) who used to carry fake blood in his kitbag. Worked every time.

Seems that there's a bit of RFL logic in this decision

if the Director of Rugby & medical staff have been cleared of misconduct, it seems that the disciplinary panel are saying that the player somehow took it upon himself to fake an injury without any instruction from the club!!!!!

Personally, I can't see the suspension lasting after appeal & it definitely out of proportion with the recent suspensions for gouging etc.