IRISH rugby legend Brian O’Driscoll is among a raft of sports stars who feature in a documentary tackling one of the biggest scandals ever to hit Britain’s rugby union.
Driscoll will give his first-hand experience of the ‘bloodgate’ scandal which occurred during the Heineken Cup quarter-final tie between Leinster and Harlequins in 2009.
In the final minutes of play, young Harlequins star Tom Williams faked an injury by biting into a fake-blood capsule in order to allow one of their star goal-kickers to come on to the pitch and replace him.
Tom Williams of Harlequins goes to ground as blood pours from his mouth during the Heineken Cup Quarter Final match between Harlequins and Leinster at the Stoop in Twickenham on April 12, 2009Their underhand tactics failed to produce results, however, as the substitute missed the late goal kick and Harlequins lost 6-5 to Leinster.
However, the fake-blood ploy had been spotted by Leinster players and reported and an inquiry was held into the incident.
That led to heavy fines for the club, and bans for Williams and the club's director of rugby, Dean Richards, who later resigned.
Irish rugby star Brian O'Driscoll of Leinster looks on during the Heineken Cup Quarter Final match between Harlequins and Leinster at the Stoop in 2009This month a new BBC 5 Live podcast series Sport’s Strangest Crimes reviews the scandal which rocked the rugby world to its core.
Hosted by actor and the award-winning documentary maker Ross Kemp, this series claims to uncover “shocking new details and untold stories” about the incident.
“As a rugby lover, the bloodgate episode was truly shocking because it went against all the values that the game is famous for - but the cover-ups and dark dealings that followed were even more jaw-dropping,” Kemp said about the documentary.
“At times farcical, at others disturbing, I hope listeners will enjoy joining me for a rollercoaster ride through the ultimate sporting scandal,” he added.
Nick Evans (2ndL) of Harlequins is brought back onto the field to replace the injured Tom Williams as referee Nigel Owens talks to Harlequins Coach Dean Richards (R) and Leinster officials during the Heineken Cup Quarter Final match between Harlequins and Leinster at the Stoop on April 12, 2009Williams, who found himself caught up in the scheme to cheat during a critical match, tells his side of the story in the podcast.
It also features interviews with O’Driscoll, fellow rugby icons Shane Horgan, Ugo Monye and Nick Easter and referee Nigel Owens, who were all on the pitch on the day of the incident.
The seven part podcast Sports Strangest Crimes: Bloodgate launches on BBC Sounds on Saturday, March 15.
See More: Bloodgate, Brian O'Driscoll, Rugby, Tom Williiams
