Mental Health Awareness Day: Rugby World Cup fanzone hears from ‘bloodgate’ winger Williams
- It is just over 10 years since Harlequins infamously cheated, and the man who took almost all the blame wishes there was the same level of mental health support
- Williams says doing the right thing is not always easy but the need to be true to one’s values outweighs personal convenience
Ten years ago, rugby was rocked by the infamous “bloodgate” incident. It took Tom Williams, the man at the centre of it all, four years to recover from the fallout and he wishes society had had the same level of mental health awareness as it does now.
In 2009, English side Harlequins were one point behind late in the quarter-final of the European Cup. Their kicker Nick Evans had been substituted, but they desperately needed him back on to attempt a drop goal. In rugby, players cannot re-enter play after being substituted unless they are replacing a player who is bleeding.
So coach Dean Richards sent on Williams, who learned to play rugby as a junior in Hong Kong. He was handed a blood capsule by the team doctor, and when the opportunity arose, he bit it. With fake blood pouring from his mouth, Williams was replaced by Evans.
The opposition, Ireland’s Leinster, smelt a rat. As Williams disappeared into the changing room and locked the door behind him, they banged on the door, demanding to see the wound. Williams asked his doctor to cut the inside of his mouth.
When the hoax was exposed, Harlequins pressured Williams into saying it was all his idea. But the issue was more systemic than that. Eventually, with the support of his girlfriend, now wife, he told the whole story. The decision came from the top and Richards took the blame, not the young and naive Williams. Richards was given a three-year ban from coaching in the English Premiership, and Williams was given four months.