Bloodgate

Right, haven't done one of these for a while and for a moment I had almost thought that British journalism had moved on from suffixing every scandal or ignominy with the word -gate.  Alas not, and the blog is back in business.  I bring you;

Bloodgate

It sounds primitively sinister... almost like you're teaching your seven-year old sister how to play Dungeons and Dragons and you want her to come up with a frightening name for a fortress and the best she can come up with is 'Bloodgate'.  "Because the gates, to the fortress, are made of blood, see?"  However, I am referring to the rugby union incident last year where Tom Williams from Harlequins faked an injury in order to get substituted  (Harlequins had used all their substitutions at this point).

Perhaps the best guilty party to use the "Bloodgate" term are the Grauniad.  They manage to have the word right after "sport" in that section.  Brilliant journalism. http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/bloodgate
 

Look at him here.

Jesus Christ, he looks like he's a zombie that's managed to eat the brain of a simpleton and it's now turned him into a drooling mess.

Really, how much blood does a person have in their cheeks or lips?  It's hardly a major artery.  I think they went a bit overboard with the blood capsules.  

Anyway, Williams had to go through to the dressing room where he requested that Dr Chapman cut his lip so that his injury looks genuine.  Always better to rely on a professional for this sort of thing.  Just as well he didn't play for the Glasgow Warriors... a simple request to have his cheek cut open could have resulted in horrific facial injuries.

It's only marginally better than the days in South America where Roberto Rojas, the Chilean goalkeeper, indulged in his own unsporting behaviour by having to cut his own head to pretend that he had been hit by a firework, in order to have a world cup qualifier against Brazil, that they were losing, abandoned.  Still, at least the blood was genuine in this case.  Following video evidence, the firework never hit Rojas.  Chile were then banned from the 1990 and 1994 World Cups.  

Dean Richards, Harlequins director of rugby, was banned for three years.

Steph Brennan, Harlequins physiotherapist, was banned for two years.

Tom Williams had his ban reduced from twelve months to four.

~Stripes

PS - I managed to resist any obvious jokes about those involved having blood, fake or otherwise, on their hands.