Richards ban ‘savage and excessive’

THE lawyer representing Dean Richards has described the three-year ban given to the former Harlequins rugby director as “savage and excessive”.

Richards was banned from coaching worldwide for orchestrating the infamous fake blood substitution in the Heineken Cup tie against Leinster. Lawyer Mark Gay insists the reason the ruse was so obvious was because Quins and Richards were not used to doing it. He added Richards is “reflecting” on his next course of action.

Richards, a former England number eight who led Leicester to four successive Premiership titles and two Heineken Cup crowns, was severely punished for the scandal which has cast a shadow over the sport. European Rugby Cup imposed the ban after ruling that Richards “was the directing mind and had central control over everything that happened”.