Blood Brothers - Bonds And Betrayal On A Rugby Pitch

Tom Williams, kneeling connected 1 knee, runs his manus complete nan blades of grass. His eyes are desperately scanning arsenic his heartbeat rises further.

It is heavy successful nan 2nd half of nan 2009 Heineken Cup quarter-final astatine nan Stoop. Williams' squad - Harlequins - are a constituent down.

It is nan biggest lucifer nan 25-year-old has ever played in.

Harlequins are aiming to make nan past 4 for nan first time. Trying to extremity them are a star-studded Leinster squad featuring nan likes of Brian O'Driscoll, Jamie Heaslip, Rob Kearney and Felipe Contepomi.

The stakes are sky-high and clip is tight.

But Williams has a much pressing concern.

"I had taken nan humor capsule retired of my sock, put it successful my mouth, and past tried to chew down connected it," he remembers connected Sport’s Strangest Crimes: Bloodgate, a BBC Radio 5 Live podcast that delves deeper than ever into 1 of rugby's astir infamous scandals.

"But it fell retired connected to nan floor. I'm red-green colour-blind. I can't spot nan point connected nan level truthful I americium searching astir for it.

"It's conscionable nan ridiculousness of it."

A fewer minutes later, everyone could spot it.

Williams, having recovered nan capsule and burst it betwixt his teeth, was led disconnected nan pitch, pinch strangely scarlet humor streaming from his mouth, splattering connected Quins' celebrated quartered shirt.

A humor wounded meant Harlequins could bring their prima fly-half Nick Evans, antecedently substituted, backmost connected for a precocious drop-goal changeable astatine glory.

The convenience of Williams' wounded raised eyebrows and suspicions.

"Who punched Tom Williams successful nan mouth, Tom Williams?" said erstwhile Bath and England fly-half Stuart Barnes arsenic he commentated connected Sky Sports.

Further on successful nan property box, Brian Moore was moving for BBC Radio.

"What a load of rubbish. That is gamesmanship astatine best, downright cheating astatine worst," he said connected air.

Down connected nan touchline, Leinster's unit were making a akin point, if successful stronger language.

"As it was playing retired [Harlequins head of rugby] Dean Richards was connected nan sidelines and I had a fewer words pinch him," says Ronan O'Donnell, nan Irish side's operations manager.

"I'd astir apt person to bleep a fewer of them out. I conscionable told him he was cheating and he knew he was cheating."

O'Donnell repeated his declare to 1 of nan touchline officials.

"He showed maine his fingers," remembers O'Donnell.

"He'd sewage immoderate of nan 'blood' connected his fingers and it was for illustration a Crayola marker had burst connected his hands. It was that benignant of texture and colour. He wasn't happy astir it either."

Williams headed down nan tunnel, surrounded by Harlequins staff. Members of nan Leinster backroom followed successful basking pursuit.

The truth went pinch them. But it didn't return agelong to emerge.

Richards was asked astir Williams' evident wounded instantly aft nan match.

"He came disconnected pinch a trim successful his rima and you person a right, if personification has a cut, to bring them off," he said.

"So your conscience is clear connected that one?" persisted touchline newsman Graham Simmons.

"Yes, very overmuch so," affirmed Richards.

The capsule was done, but nan cover-up had begun.

Williams, by then, did person a trim successful his mouth.

Locked successful nan location dressing room, while Leinster unit and lucifer officials hammered connected nan doorway demanding introduction and an explanation, he had pleaded pinch nine expert Wendy Chapman to usage a scalpel to create a existent wounded successful spot of nan clone one.

With nan measurement expanding outside, she reluctantly did so. A photograph was taken arsenic grounds to support Quins' conspiracy.

"We were trying to triumph and we thought thing of it successful position of ethics," Williams tells Bloodgate.

"We thought we were conscionable pushing nan boundaries and doing what it took to effort and get a result."

They had grounded to do truthful connected nan pitch. A limping Evans had shanked a precocious drop-goal and Leinster hung connected to win.

Soon, they needed to do truthful successful a boardroom.

Three months aft nan match, Williams, Chapman, Richards and Harlequins physio Steph Brennan were sat successful nan plush offices of a cardinal London rule firm.

All faced misconduct charges. And a large screen.

The surface played tv pictures which had ne'er primitively been broadcast.

They showed Brennan appearing to walk thing to Williams arsenic he went connected nan transportation to dainty different player. Williams past appeared to fold nan enigma entity into nan apical of his sock.

And past finally, a fewer minutes later, nan wing, kneeled, retrieved it and, aft dropping it connected nan floor, placed it backmost successful his mouth.

Together pinch nan footage of him stepping disconnected nan pitch, winking to a team-mate en route, it made a compelling case.

The nine had its defence though.

Richards had co-ordinated their accounts.

Williams, they each claimed, had been retrieving his mouthguard from his sock. His rima was already bleeding. Chapman had applied gauze to Williams' mouth, not a scalpel.

Richards called nan charges against him and his nine "ridiculous", claiming that adjacent play was "in-built" to his coaching.

Brennan, who had bought nan capsule utilized by Williams from a fancy dress shop successful Clapham, claimed ne'er to person seen them extracurricular of a Halloween party.

The sheet presiding complete nan lawsuit were suspicious, but, pinch Quins' backroom unit sticking rigidly to their story, they couldn't unpick nan afloat connivance.

"It was conscionable truthful evidently a lie," says Williams. "I realised I was decently successful trouble."

When nan verdict came, it landed wholly connected Williams. He was banned from rugby for a year. Richards, Chapman and Brennan were each cleared, pinch nan nine handed a 250,000 euro good for failing to power their player.

WIlliams was, successful nan eyes of nan adjudicating panel, a lone rogue agent.

Harlequins, agreed successful some nan crime and cover-up, were abruptly divided by a reward that touched only 1 of their number.

Williams, having supposedly brought ugliness connected Harlequins by independently concocting nan humor capsule plan, sought proposal from nan Rugby Players' Association.

They urged him to appeal, to rustle nan whistle connected nan full plot.

But nan nine had different ideas. Williams was offered a caller two-year deal, 3 years of guaranteed employment astatine nan nine erstwhile he had retired and a committedness to thief him build a profession extracurricular of rugby.

He conscionable had to clasp backmost connected nan existent story. He had to beryllium a team-mate erstwhile more. He had to protect nan nine that meant truthful overmuch to them all.

The afloat grade of nan plot, nan complicity of nan club's aesculapian unit and coaches, couldn't travel out.

"They said to maine 'do you understand nan effect of this determination you're astir to make? If you travel guardant and show this, Harlequins will beryllium kicked retired of Europe, your friends' playing opportunities for their countries will beryllium reduced, Steph and Wendy will beryllium struck off, we'll suffer sponsors we'll suffer money'," Williams remembers.

"Playing rugby was each I wanted to do and each I felt that I could do.

"So I was stuck betwixt coming guardant and telling nan truth and falling connected my sword. And I didn't cognize what to do."

"I'd person taken nan rap," Ugo Monye, Williams' team-mate astatine nan time, tells Bloodgate. "With nan woody that was supposedly being offered, 100%."

The unit was extreme.

Harlequins were hopeless to incorporate a toxic scandal. Banned and branded a cheat, Williams wanted to show nan truth, explicate his actions and rescue his rugby dreams.

At 1 point, he asked for much money successful speech for his silence; £390,000 to salary disconnected his owe and a four-year contract. Quins refused.

In a connection from nan clip Quins president Charles Jillings described Williams' demands arsenic "exorbitant" and "shocking". He insisted that "under nary circumstances was nan financial connection a reward for Tom's silence."

"I'd sunk to stone bottom," says Williams. "It was a catastrophic play from a individual standpoint."

And each nan time, nan timepiece was ticking.

Williams had 1 period to entreaty against his ban, to spell nationalist and get his profession backmost connected track.

Two days earlier nan model to entreaty shut, an email landed successful Williams inbox.

He wasn't nan only 1 considering an appeal. The European Cup organisers excessively were unhappy that he was nan only personification recovered guilty. They knew location must beryllium much to nan case.

The chances of 1 young subordinate coming up pinch specified a strategy connected his ain and carrying it retired successful concealed successful nan tight and tightly-controlled situation of a master nine were remote.

They wrote to show Williams they were to entreaty against Richards, Brennan and Chapman being cleared. They would telephone him arsenic a witness, cross-examine him and, if he didn't comply, level a 2nd misconduct complaint astatine him.

"His look virtually conscionable went white," remembers Alex, Williams' woman astatine nan time, now wife.

A last acme gathering pinch nan Harlequins level was called.

Tom and Alex drove to nan Surrey location of 1 of nan club's board. Drinks and snacks were laid out, but nan speech soon turned to business.

"We were going information and information successful circles," remembers Tom.

"Harlequins were saying to me, if I fell connected my sword, for want of a amended term, they would guarantee maine early employment, salary disconnected immoderate of my mortgage, salary for maine to spell connected sabbatical and we'll guarantee my girlfriend's early employment.

"On nan different hand, if I came guardant and told nan truth they said l would hide nan club."

Frustrated, stressed and tired aft 3 hours of backmost and forth, Alex excused herself for a cigaret break. As she stubbed it retired and prepared to spell backmost into nan meeting, she saw Tom coming successful nan other direction.

He had fixed up. He would tally away, time off nan country, move his backmost connected rugby, commencement again - thing to get retired of this situation.

Alex hadn't vanished though. She wanted to inquire 1 much mobility of nan 13 men successful nan room.

She walked backmost in.

"I retrieve nan astonishment connected their faces erstwhile it was conscionable maine opinionated there," she says.

"I said 'I'm really sorry to fuss you again, but do you mind if I conscionable person you for a mates much minutes? I conscionable want to inquire you each individually 1 question'.

"I went information and I really pointed to each azygous personification and I conscionable said, 'Is this Tom's fault?' And each of them gave a resounding no. Every azygous 1 of them."

"Alex humanised maine again, because I had dehumanised myself, Harlequins had dehumanised me," says Tom.

"I was a pawn by that point, and I was fresh to beryllium moved successful immoderate measurement that anyone pushed me.

"She was nan personification from extracurricular of this tight rugby centric-environment who could trim done that.

"She said what had gone connected was not my responsibility - what had gone connected was incorrect - and made group realise that."

Early nan adjacent morning, Tom sewage a telephone call.

Richards had resigned. Harlequins said they would support Williams telling nan truth and judge nan fall-out.

The crippled was up. The cover-up would beryllium uncovered. The truth would alteration lives.

At a proceeding successful Glasgow, Williams told nan afloat story.

Richards admitted instructing physio Brennan to transportation nan humor capsules successful his aesculapian container "just successful case". He was judged to beryllium nan "directing mind" of nan Bloodgate crippled and banned from rugby for 3 years.

Brennan admitted buying nan clone humor successful beforehand and was described arsenic Richards' "willing lieutenant". He was banned from nan athletics for 2 years and a dream occupation moving pinch England, each lined up, was gone.

Harlequins' nine expert Chapman was referred to nan General Medical Council. By cutting unfastened Tom's mouth, she had contravened a cardinal rule of medicine to "do nary harm".

She said she was "ashamed" and "horrified" by what she had done, but she had an improbable supporter.

Arthur Tanner - nan Leinster expert that time astatine nan Stoop, 1 of those incensed by Tom's clone wounded - said up for her.

"When it transpired that she had been forced and coerced into doing it I really felt very, very sorry for her because I realised location was going to beryllium a difficult 2 aliases 3 years up of her," he said.

Tom, who had pleaded pinch Chapman to trim his mouth, besides supported her, telling nan proceeding she is "as overmuch a unfortunate successful each this arsenic me".

"It's a immense regret of mine... putting her successful a position wherever she felt she had nary different action but to do it," says Tom.

Chapman was cleared to return to medicine.

Of nan quartet though, Williams was nan only 1 to enactment astatine Harlequins.

At nan first crippled of nan pursuing season, immoderate guidance fans turned up dressed arsenic vampires.

He was targeted connected nan pitch, pinch opposing players aiming taunts, and sometimes punches, astatine him.

There was nary sanctuary successful nan location dressing room either.

"A number of my team-mates would person been loyal to Dean Richards and felt that I'd betrayed not only him, but besides them arsenic a club," remembers Williams.

"It decidedly impacted them, location was decidedly a level of distrust, astir apt dislike arsenic well."

Williams became a quieter, sadder, slower presence. The zip was gone from his game, nan grin was gone from his face.

It seemed he was conscionable playing retired his contract, an unwanted reminder of nan past arsenic Harlequins built an breathtaking caller squad nether caller leader Conor O'Shea during nan 2011-12 season.

"I'd mislaid each morsel of assurance that I perchance could person had," remembers Williams.

"I wasn't successful nan team. I was conscionable that personification astir training who had done thing successful nan past."

But, aft a starring cameo successful a triumph complete French giants Toulouse, thing reignited successful Williams' game.

The play ended pinch Harlequins winning their first Premiership crown successful nan Twickenham sun, pinch Williams scoring nan first effort successful beforehand of Alex and their young son.

"It's funny really athletics works, really life useful out," says Williams.

"You spell from dormant and buried to emotion nan elation of being connected apical of nan world."

But you tin besides spell successful nan other direction.

Williams played for Harlequins until 2015 erstwhile moved connected to nan coaching staff. In 2019, he near rugby to prosecute a profession successful consultancy.

"About 5 years ago, I was diagnosed pinch slump and anxiety, and I fishy that it came from this event," he says.

"I've been connected medicine ever since, and I struggle connected a day-to-day basis.

"My first belief is ever to trust, and that sewage maine successful problem successful nan first spot - but it's really I run best. I effort and spot nan champion successful people.

"I effort and spot nan champion successful everyone involved. And I wish them nan champion because there's nary constituent holding connected to it.

"Ultimately, it was a crippled of sport, but it did mean everything to maine astatine nan time.

"I wish I had nan self-awareness and position I person now.

"I americium very, very happy now. I've sewage 3 children who are patient and happy, and I consciousness for illustration I'm building a life for myself that isn't identified by a infinitesimal successful clip successful 2009."

Escaping nan taint of what spilled from nan capsule and trim that time has been difficult for each involved.

Dean Richards and Mark Evans some declined to beryllium interviewed for this podcast series. Steph Brennan did not respond to our requests, while Dr Wendy Chapman could not beryllium reached.