Richards admits ban has effectively ended career

FORMER Harlequins director of rugby Dean Richards admits his career in the sport has effectively been ended by his three-year ban for masterminding the Bloodgate scandal.

The most successful coach in English club rugby during the professional era believes he has been punished too harshly for faking a blood injury during last season’s Heineken Cup quarter-final against Leinster.

The 46-year-old is dismayed by his treatment by rugby’s authorities and fears the length of his ban will prevent him from returning to the game.