Harlequins plead for leniency

Harlequins chief executive Mark Evans today donned his sackcloth and ashes and pleaded with the authorities not to throw his club out of the Heineken Cup over the fake blood scandal.

The English club face a European Rugby Cup (ERC) appeal next Monday where the initial punishment handed down last month – a €250,000 fine, half of which was suspended for two years – for fabricating a blood injury against Leinster is expected to be increased.

Harlequins winger Tom Williams was also handed a 12 month ban for his role in the affair.

He has subsequently appealed against the length of the ban while ERC disciplinary officer Roger O’Connor lodged the appeal against Harlequins in the belief that their sanction was too lenient.

Many now feel that ‘Quins will be lucky to avoid being banned from European competition for at least one season.

Evans today broke his silence on the matter, asking for the club to be allowed to remain in a competition they have qualified for “on playing merit and playing merit alone”.

In an open letter posted on the club’s website, Evans paid tribute to former coach Dean Richards, who resigned last weekend, and said the focus was now to have William’s ban reduced and stay in the Heineken Cup.

While the tone of the letter occasionally implied that ‘Quins had been harshly treated, with Evans suggesting fans may feel the “case has been blown out of all proportion”, he admitted the club were entirely in the wrong.

“The club have accepted the findings of the initial ERC inquiry and accepted

the sanction,” he wrote “The scale of the sanction is unprecedented in the game - and the severity of the fine is a clear message, not only to our club but to the game as a whole, that this type of behaviour is not acceptable and will be severely punished.

“We entirely agree with that message and sincerely hope that no further sanctions are imposed upon a club whose presence in the Heineken Cup is based on playing merit and playing merit alone.”

Evans heaped praise on Richards for his work with the club, explaining that “one mistake, albeit extremely high profile, should not overshadow a career in which so much has been achieved”.

And he revealed that he has already written a letter to Leinster, who went on to claim the title, to “apologise unreservedly” for the incident.

Full text of the open letter from Mark Evans, August 12th, 2009

I am writing to update you on recent events at the club so far as I am able, given that disciplinary action is still ongoing. It has been a difficult and challenging time since the initial findings and sanctions were announced by ERC on Monday 20th July. As a club, we felt it was important to wait until we received the written judgement, but before that we had begun conducting our own internal review with the evidence that was available to us. During this process Dean Richards’s resignation from his position as Director of Rugby was accepted and announced on Saturday 8th August.

I would like to thank Dean on behalf of the club for his enormous contribution over the last four seasons. His input has been absolutely central to the improvements the club has made on the field and I am sure that I speak on behalf of the players, staff, board and supporters in thanking Dean and wishing him all the best in his future. It was no surprise to me or the Board that he wanted to take full responsibility for events. One mistake, albeit extremely high profile, should not overshadow a career in which so much has been achieved.

You have probably read in the press that the ERC Appeal Hearing is taking place in Glasgow on Monday 17th August. Our focus as a club now is to reduce Tom Williams’ ban which we felt was disproportionate and to ensure that we do not get expelled from European rugby. The club has accepted the findings of the initial ERC inquiry and has accepted the sanction. The scale of the sanction is unprecedented in the game and the severity of the fine is a clear message, not only to our club but to the game as a whole, that this type of behaviour is not acceptable and will be severely punished. We entirely agree with that message and sincerely hope that no further sanctions are imposed upon a club whose presence in the Heineken Cup is based on playing merit and playing merit alone.

With regards to our internal inquiry, this is still ongoing but has already resulted in a number of outcomes. Aside from Dean’s resignation, we have written to Leinster to formally apologise unreservedly for the incident. We have appointed an independent person to continue the internal review looking at every aspect of this affair but his remit is wider – allowing him to examine any other similar behaviour and helping us to ensure we put stronger processes and policies in place to ensure that Harlequins can start to rebuild its reputation as a successful team, both on the field and in terms of the values that we stand for.

I would also like to apologise to the supporters of Harlequins on behalf of the Club. Some of you will feel that manipulation of the substitution, uncontested scrums and sin binning rules are so widespread in the game that this case has been blown out of all proportion. Others will feel it a terrible episode which makes them ashamed of the club they love. Wherever you are on that scale of reaction, I am sure you would all agree that whatever goes on elsewhere we have got to accept that we have been found guilty of behaviour that cannot be accepted or condoned. For that we apologise to you unconditionally.

However, we must not let one event negate years of hard work that have been put in over the last decade to get us into the position that we are in today. The community schemes, the investment in the stadium, the growth of the fan base, the excellent disciplinary record that we have had up to this point, the way we conducted ourselves in Division 1, the openness we have always striven to maintain with the fanbase. These things define the club in a way that one mistake never can.

We must now work to ensure that the highest of standards are upheld. I am confident that every professional rugby club across the country, and indeed further afield, will be looking at this incident and will learn from how we deal with it. Our organisation needs better processes and procedures. We have been naïve in this regard, but I assure you that we have learnt from this and will endeavour to uphold the great name of your club and of the game of rugby as a whole in the future.

Dean Richards’ departure raises several questions in relation to the management of the playing side at the club. The appointment of a Director of Rugby is a key decision and not one that we as a club will be rushed into. The last appointment took three months and is a lengthy and in-depth process. We may restructure internally or we may seek a direct replacement. I have every faith in the abilities of our existing coaching team of John Kingston, Colin Osborne and Tony Diprose who have all been involved with the club for many years. They will temporarily take on some of the responsibilities left by Dean’s departure including team selection and dealing with the media. The board will ensure that issues such as players’ contracts and strategic decision making are not overlooked.

Finally, we truly value your support and thank you for your commitment to us. We do not underestimate how valuable your support is. Without you we would not have made the progress that we have seen to date nor be able to take even greater steps in the future. We appreciate that it will take time to rebuild some of the faith that you have shown in us but I hope that you will join us on Friday when we play Connacht (7.45 KO at the Twickenham Stoop) and on Saturday when the boys defend their Middlesex 7’s title at Twickenham as a show of unity that we are one club and one that the staff, players and fans alike, are rightfully proud of.

Kind regards,

Mark