THEY may be screaming blue murder down at The Stoop this week with the news of Tom Williams’ 12-month ban but my mind keeps skipping back 20 years to a World Cup football qualifier between Brazil and Chile.
You’ll remember it well. Chile were facing defeat and certain elimination when their goalkeeper Robert Rojas fell to the turf having apparently been struck by fireworks and was carried bleeding from the pitch.
The only problem was that TV cameras had caught him reaching for his sock and pulling out a concealed razor blade with which he proceeded to nick himself. Remember what FIFA slapped him with?
That’s right, a lifetime ban.
Sitting in the press box last April in Twickenham it was nigh on impossible to make out what had happened at the time but, from the reaction on the Leinster bench, it was obvious that the Irish side had smelled a rat.
Dean Richards was Mr Personality himself afterwards, deflecting questions over the controversial substitution with a blunt remark about knowing the rules and he certainly won’t be smiling this week.
The fact is that an independent enquiry has found Williams guilty of fabricating an injury and it makes no odds that Richards himself and two members of the club’s medial staff have had misconduct charges dismissed.
There was obviously evidence to suggest wrong-doing on Williams’ part and not on the others’. Damian Hopley, the chief of the Professional Rugby Players Association, can bleat about Williams’ good character all he likes, rules is rules.
Hopley has compared Williams’ ban with the lesser sentences handed out to Schalk Burger for gouging and Justin Harrison for drugs offences but you don’t lessen the severity of one punishment just because someone else might have got off lightly.
It just doesn’t work that way, or shouldn’t anyway.
Let’s not forget what was at stake here when Williams left the field that day in London and Nick Evans came back on. Had the Kiwi kicked a late penalty or drop goal Leinster would have been out.
There would have been no once-in-a-lifetime meeting with Munster at Croke Park and Michael Cheika’s side would have missed out on a European Cup and all the attendant trappings that go with it, financial and otherwise.
The Irish province can now attract greater sponsorship and better players having won their maiden Heineken Cup. So, Mr Hopley, still think 12 months is harsh?
Senor Rojas wouldn’t think so.
