Tolkien and GCHQ

This blog started with some short stories inspired by the writing of J. R. R. Tolkien and so it is fitting that it ends with a word about the master as well. This week, The Daily Telegraph reported that Tolkien trained as a spy just before World War II.

Tolkien, one of his generation's most respected linguists, was ''earmarked'' to crack Nazi codes in the event that Germany declared war.

Intelligence chiefs singled him and a 'cadre' of other intellectuals to work at Bletchley Park, the codebreaking centre in Buckinghamshire.

The full story can be read here.

Thank you for reading Cally's Kitchen. It has been enjoyable writing the blog but I am stopping now to move on to other things.

The British Catholic Bloggers list will continue to be updated.

Sigrid Charlotte Wiswe (1960 - 2001)

Yesterday was the 8th anniversary of the 11th September attacks on the World Trade Center. I am taking part in an on-line act of remembrance for the victims. Project 2996 allocates a person to volunteers to remember however they will. This year, I have been given Sigrid Charlotte Wiswe. She was 41 years old when she died.

It is, of course, impossible to remember someone you never knew. Thus, tributes such as appear on this memorial website are invaluable in building up a picture. Among the tributes to Wiswe are some from an old friend, a relative and someone who knew her for just a short while. They reveal that she had a gruff exterior but was a a good manager and made cakes and candles on the side.

I like the fact that the writers have not been afraid to go beyond the merely hagiographical and into the real and even trivial. The ability to do so really separates right thinking people from extremists who deal only in stereotypes. Their words remind me that our heroes are humans not ideals with characters as varied as the colours of the rainbow. Thank God for rainbows and Sigrid Charlotte Wiswe - proven by the tributes to be one of the good guys.

Requiescat in Pace.

The colour red causes trouble for Quins again

Well, better late than never. Last weekend, the rugby season got off to a start. Harlequins played Wasps at Twickenham stadium, just over the road from the Stoop, in the London double header. The second game was Saracens (now more commonly called Saffacens due to the new South African owner and influx of South African players) versus London Irish. It was a poor game with L. Irish looking particularly rusty.

To give the Irish their due, while they ended the first half at least a couple of tries down, they did mount quite a fightback in the second. Unfortunately, the gap proved just a little too big and Sarries held on for the win. This weekend, Saracens play Northampton Saints in a new stadium - Wembley! It will be interesting to see if it sells out.

As for Harlequins, the big question was if bloodgate had undermined team morale. If it had, we could expect a beating at the hands of Wasps. The answer, though, was a resounding no. Unfortunately, due to an incident in the 46th second of the game, the team were denied the chance to really prove how charged up for the game they were.

What was that incident? Only George Robson, our lock, getting a straight red card for headbutting the Wasps scrum half! And yes, the incident took place in the 46th second. One can only imagine what the pre-game team talk or what the scrum half said or did to excite such a reaction in Robson. Either way, he did utterly the wrong thing and ruined Quins' day almost before it had started.

It is bad enough when you have a player sent to the sin bin for ten minutes, but with fourteen men, you can only expect to be fighting on the back foot for the rest of the game. Equally, you can only expect to lose by a heavy margin - especially if you are playing a team of Wasps' quality.

But following Robson's red card, Harlequins not only took the game to Wasps but went into the lead by scoring the first try. They maintained it until just before half time when Wasps took a one point lead.

In the end, Wasps almost ran away with the game, but it was only a penalty try twenty minutes before the end of the match that they really took control of the game. They will be happy to have won the game but can't be happy at their laboured performance.

As for Harlequins, they ought to be proud of themselves. Theirs was a firery and committed performance. If they play as well with XV men, the first win cannot be far away.

Off the pitch, I have read varying reports from fans of Harlequins regarding Wasps supporters booing the team or shouting abuse, generally related to the bloodgate scandal. In my corner of the stadium, however, I am pleased to say that I heard nothing vile or billious. The worst that I saw was a person who threw his beer over Harley, the Quins' mascot. What a waste of beer!

Yum, yum, yum yum!

Harlequins - Some happy news

Hurray! My ticket for Harlequins' first game of the new Premiership season arrived yesterday. I only ordered it on Monday. I am especially relieved since the Royal Mail is currently being plagued by a series of strikes, which continue and Friday and Saturday this week.

Following the European Rugby Cup's belated publication of its judgements against Dean Richards et al yesterday it looks like Quins have avoided being thrown out of this year's Heineken Cup. Not that 'bloodgate' is wholly over as the ERC is meeting next week to take legal advice on whether it can take further action against 'individuals' in the club.

Unless Mark Evans, the CEO of Harlequins is found to have been involved in the bloodgate cover up, I can't see that the ERC's further deliberations will lead to anywhere dramatic. Perhaps they could punish Nick Evans for coming on as a sub following Williams' fake blood withdrawal? It was hardly his fault, though.

As matters stand, with Mark Evans having been found to be innocent of any knowledge of the cover up, all the main players (and, in the case of Charles Jillings, even those on the periphery) have been punished and suspended, sacked or resigned. So, for now, I think we can put the ERC to one side. Hurray!

If words can't mean what I want them to, I'll change 'em

One from the 'never let a story get in the way of a good headline' catagory.

Iain Dale's blog post reads 'Obama Must Meet Nick Clegg Demands LibDem Blogger' and writes

'Oh you do have to laugh don't you.'. Do you? The funny bone would be helped if the LibDem Blogger in question actually wrote what Dale accuses him of.

But rather annoyingly, he didn't.

The LibDem Blogger in question is named Irfan Ahmed and in the post in question, he refers to,

my campaign to ask Obama to meet Nick Clegg, if the President of Pakistan believes that the Lib Dems play an important part in UK politics and has wanted to meet Nick Clegg then I think Barack Obama should as well.

The operative word here is, of course, ask. One may question the notion that Barack Obama should meet Nick Clegg just because the President of Pakistan did (as Dale rightly does), but accusing Mr Ahmed of demanding that Obama meet Clegg is not even to put a spin on Mr Ahmed's language but change it completely.

In his blog post headline, Iain Dale uses the word 'must'. I would suggest that Mr Irfan believes that Obama ought to meet Nick Clegg. All in all, a poor effort by Dale.

Fiscal Football

Imagine if a Conservative Government said it was no longer going to spend within its means, that it would acquire whatever debts were necessary to pay for its policies. There would surely be a revolt within the party, probably led by someone who maintained the traditional (?) Conservative belief that governments should only spend money that it actually owns - Donal Blaney, for example.

Or maybe not, because in this post, Blaney castigates UEFA for proposing to sanction football clubs who spend more money than they have in the bank. He interprets the UEFA proposal as an attempt to limit footballers' pay, such as used to happen until the sixties when Jimmy Hill managed to get the rule overturned.

I suppose UEFA's proposal would indeed limit footballers' pay, but I am surprised that a Conservative would not support a business paying its employees according to its means, which is slightly different than a return to the kind of wage caps that Jimmy Hill, quite rightly, overturned in the sixties.

Charles Jillings, a glass of whiskey and a revolver

The fall out from 'bloodgate' continues at Harlequins. This afternoon, Charles Jillings, the club's chairman, resigned. In his resignation statement (at the Harlequins website here), Jillings provides an account of what happened at the club following the first inquiry into Tom Williams' use of a blood capsule to engineer his removal from the pitch during the Heineken Cup quarter final against Leinster back in April.

What happened at the club was that various offers were made to Williams to compensate him, as Jillings says, for the damage done to him by the club's 'failure to control' Dean Richards NOT as a bribe to keep quiet about the matter. Jillings is resigning perhaps because of the confusion caused by the offers made to Williams but certainly in light of the club's failures vis a vis Richards.

But poor Dean Richards. Charles Jillings has some sharp words to say about Tom Williams,

When Tom Williams’ witness statement came out it was very detailed. It became clear in the Appeal Hearing that Tom’s representatives had been in talks with the ERC for several days and that the content of our meetings were being disclosed to them. I am still disturbed by the implications of those discussions and their resultant conduct.

But what he and Williams have in common is that Richards is the common enemy - in his testimony for the second ERC inquiry, Williams portrays Richards as a kind of bullying dictator. Well, he did order the blood capsule to be used, but the easy way in which he is being criticised, not only by Williams and Jillings but by journalists as well, is very unedifying and very likely unfair. And as I have said before, the blood capsule comes from a cheating tradition in Rugby Union one that, because of the RFU's refusal to investigate it, Richards will - most unfairly - stand as a figurehead for.

Harlequins' Bonfire of the Vanities

Just when you thought it was safe to concentrate on rugby... Dean Richards held his hands up and admitted he was behind 'bloodgate'. That was the matter over and done with. But no, the European Rugby Cup has released Tom Williams' testimony from its enquiry and in the document, Williams explains how Mark Evans, the club's CEO, and Charles Jillings, the club chairman, offered Williams various incentives to keep mum over what happened on that fateful day on April.

Now, according to The Daily Telegraph, the ERC and RFU could investigate the affair further, with expulsion from this year's Heineken Cup and even the Rugby Football Union 'on the table'. Hmm. I suppose we have now moved on from Bloodgate to Liegate or Coverupgate or Harlequinscoveruptoavoidimaginedruinationofclubgate. All because of one man's fatal flaw. Which wasn't even unique to him, anyway.

To be honest, though, if Quins aren't now kicked out of the Heineken Cup, I will be surprised. I can understand why Evans and Jillings made their various offers to Williams but though they may not have realised it at the time, they went too far in asking him to keep quiet. They feared that if the truth about Bloodgate came out, Harlequins would be done for. Fair enough. But they did not realise that what they were doing was equally harmful. Naive? I hope so.

The ERC has yet to publish reports relating to other aspects of the Bloodgate affair so Quins will not be making any comment about the matter till then. One can only hope it has something significant to say.

Meanwhile, Dean Richards may appeal to the European Court of Human Rights against his three year ban. I hope he does and I hope he wins. He received a penalty so severe that it suggested he was the only person to ever cheat to win a rugby game. But the truth is quite different.

Speaking of gaining an unfair advantage, did anyone see the Arsenal - Celtic game last night? I didn't, but there is a lot of talk on the radio this morning about the Gunners' Eduardo diving to obtain a penalty. Cheating in order to obtain an advantage. We look forward to UEFA banning Eduardo for a year, Wenger for three and fining Arsenal appropriately.

Friendships up in smoke

I can't find the link now, but a while ago I commented on this blog about people who leave the pub to go outside to smoke together - leaving behind the one person who doesn't. I regard this practice as extremely bad form on the grounds that it shows that the smokers care more about their cigarette than the friend they are leaving behind. I am "pleased" to discover that I am not the only person to whom this has happened. From Iain Dale's Twitter feed,

Don't you just love it when the 2 people you're having dinner with get up and leave the table to go for a fag leaving you alone. How rude!

Walking out on friends is a serious business so depending on circumstances I would definitely consider getting up and leaving them to it. Quite honestly, if it is more important to them that they get their tobacco fix who am I to stand in their way.

Well Done England!

Last night was a very difficult night.

The headline at BBC On-Line said 'England on course for Ashes glory' and in a way, it was true. England had declared at 373, giving Australia two days to reach the everestean target of 546 to win the final Ashes test match and retain the famous old urn (or, to bat to achieve the same result).

If Australia had reached 546, they would have smashed the record for a fourth innings target, but still I had that niggling feeling - especially because they ended the day on 80 - 0 that they might might do it. Australia's national team, even when it is not that good it still is good enough to mess with your head.

Today, Test Match Special and the BBC On-Line cricket update page were my regular companions. England got two important wickets early on. Then, it seemed that the charge was on. But for ages nothing more happened. Then suddenly, I blinked and Australia were five wickets down. Awesome! Another seemingly long while took place. My brother-in-law visited and we played two full rounds of golf on the X-box. He won at Bethpage and we drew at Bay Hill.

During a break in play, I quickly checked the score. Somehow, out of nowhere, England had knocked off the last five Australian wickets to regain the Ashes. Wonderful stuff. Even when they are rubbish, Australia are good. Ponting, the captain, is a great player. Hussey, North and Clarke can all play big innings. In fact, during the Ashes, they did, scoring several more centuries than England did.

But, as they said on the radio tonight, what ultimately did for Australia is that England played really bad just once - at Headingly. Australia, however, played a little badly (as it were) throughout the series. England were able to exploit this to their winning advantage. We now look forward to seeing photos of a red eyed Freddie Flintoff meeting the Prime Minister tomorrow following the inevitable all nighter tonight.

al-Megrahi's Release - America's Response

America's displeasure at the release of Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi has dominated the news these last few days and it seems that every U.S. citizen, from the head of the F.B.I. to Joe Doe has had something to say, mainly critical, on the matter. Robert Mueller is the aforementioned head of the F.B.I. He has called al-Megrahi's release a 'mockery of justice'. Well, I suppose an American lawman would know what that was. In the U.K., puppy dog Conservatives have been worrying themselves silly over what al-Megrahi's release might mean to British-American relations. But why? We and America are allies, aren't we? We have a special relationship, don't we? Really, there is nothing to worry about.

When France refused to support the Iraq War in 2003, some offended Americans got their own back by renaming French Fries 'Freedom Fries'. How Paris must have cried that night. Now, according to Radio 5 Live tonight, a website advocating a boycott of British goods has been set up. I wonder if the website advocates boycotting Libyan exports. Not that it has many. Except oil. Ah.

What makes the American response to the Scottish Justice Secretary's decision so objectionable is, apart from its bullying nature, the fact that al-Megrahi's conviction was secured on such a slight basis. Private Eye covered the trial in 2001 and has a few lines on it in the latest edition. I don't have it in front of me, but two aspects of the case stick in my mind from when I read it earlier: There was a break in at the Pan Am baggage centre before the plane took off for America. Al-Megrahi himself was identified as the bomber by a someone receiving money from the C.I.A and a Maltese shop owner who was shown photos of him before hand. Mockery of justice, anyone?

Favourite jukebox songs

Last weekend, Paulinus asked which three songs I would play on a pub jukebox. This is a hard, hard question to answer as my playlist would very much depend on my mood and taste on the day (or night). For example, a few months ago, 5MJ and I watched the Hatton/Pacquiao fight at the domus of Our Man of the Antonii. Others present dominated the playlist of the ipod that night, but at one point, I nabbed the remote controller just long enough to put on Guns N' Roses' Get In The Ring on. It seemed appropriate to the occasion. Here is the song from You Tube.

Be Warned! The song is very sweary. It is a great tune though. Powerful guitar. Because of the weariness, I probably wouldn't play it in the pub though. Instead, I will go for the following:

1. U2 Walk On. At the moment, my favourite U2 song is Fez - Being Born from the new No Line On the Horizon album. I would choose Walk On though because it is now old enough to be a firm musical friend. No matter how much time passes between plays, every time I come back to it, it is like I was never away.

2. REM Orange Crush. Another old friend. Here is a live version of the song. Great stuff. One! Two! Three! Four!

Here is the album version:

3. Bruce Springsteen The Wrestler. The truth is, my three jukebox songs could easily be U2 or Boss dominated. The Wrestler is Springsteen at his blue collar 'loser' best. It is not a song to be played when one is feeling down and out although it is at that point that you feel the closest connection to it.

And finally, just in case one of the above was not available, this is my reserve choice. Great High Mountain is a traditional folk song. This version was performed by Jack White of the White Stripes for Cold Mountain. I love the film and song very much indeed.

The Release of al-Megrahi

In freeing Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi from prison on compassionate grounds, the Scottish Justice Secretary, Kennt MacAskill, has done something very brave and noble. In explaining his decision to release the man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing, MacAskill said,

"Mr al-Megrahi did not show his victims any comfort or compassion. They were not allowed to return to the bosom of their families to see out their lives, let alone their dying days," he said.

"But that alone is not a reason for us to deny compassion to him and his family in his final days."

Mr MacAskill continued: "Our justice system demands that judgement be imposed, but compassion be available".

Understandably, America is unhappy about al-Megrahi's release. But his conviction seems to have been such a flimsily secured one that the American Government's opposition appears more like a desire to keep al-Megrahi in prison so that it can continue to blame someone for the Lockerbie bombing.

In the meantime, it is not usual that politicians speak so wisely, so lets feast on this simple but powerful truth, "Our justice system demands that judgement be imposed, but compassion be available."

Tom Williams' Appeal

Late yesterday afternoon, I read a post on the Come All Within website in which someone asked, So, how much work did you get done today? Like other Harlequin fans, my work rate was a little compromised by the fact that I was regularly refreshing the BBC (and Telegraph) websites to see if there was any news of Tom Williams' appeal against his year long suspension for faking a blood injury.

In the end, news came at the end - of the day. At around Eleven PM the ERC Appeal Committee issued its judgement.

Misconduct Appeal Hearing Decisions

17 August 2009, 6:29 pm

An independent Appeal Committee convened in Glasgow on Monday, 17 August, to hear the appeals lodged against decisions of the independent Disciplinary Committee regarding the Heineken Cup quarter-final match between Harlequins and Leinster at the Twickenham Stoop on 12 April, 2009.

The original independent Disciplinary Committee, which convened over three days (2, 3 and 20 July), found that the Club (Harlequins) and Mr Tom Williams were guilty of Misconduct under the Heineken Cup Disciplinary Rules by fabricating a wound or blood injury in order to allow Nick Evans (No 10), who had earlier been substituted, to return to the field of play during the match.

The original Committee imposed a fine of 250,000 Euro on Harlequins, of which 50 percent was suspended for two years, and the Committee suspended Mr Williams from playing rugby for a period of 12 months up to and including 19 July, 2010.

The Committee found that the Misconduct Complaints against club officials Dean Richards (Director of Rugby), Dr Wendy Chapman (Doctor) and Steph Brennan (Physiotherapist) had not been proven.

Mr Williams lodged an appeal against the sanction imposed on him and ERC Disciplinary Officer Roger O'Connor appealed the level of sanction imposed on the Club (Harlequins) and the decision of the Committee to dismiss Misconduct Complaints against the three Club officials.

Appeal Decisions

After almost 14 hours of hearings the independent Appeal Committee, chaired by Rod McKenzie (Scotland) and also comprising Professor Lorne D Crerar (Scotland) and Mark McParland (Ireland), issued the following decisions.

Tom Williams: Following the introduction of new evidence by Mr Williams where he admitted his guilt in the Misconduct and where he explained the part played by Mr Richards and Mr Brennan in fabricating the wound or blood injury, as well as disclosing full details of the steps taken by those involved to cover up what had happened in the period following the match, the Committee upheld the appeal and reduced the sanction to a suspension of four (4) months up-to and including 19 November 2009.

Dean Richards: Following the introduction of the new evidence by Mr Williams and an admission of guilt by Dean Richards, the Committee allowed the ERC appeal and found that Mr Richards was guilty of Misconduct in that he organised the fabrication of a wound or blood injury. Mr Richards acknowledged that he had orchestrated the subsequent cover up of the incident.

The Committee imposed a suspension of three (3) years on Mr Richards from participating in any capacity in ERC tournaments and will be requesting that other tournaments and Governing Bodies give effect to this suspension in their tournaments.

Steph Brennan: Following the introduction of the new evidence by Mr Williams and an admission of guilt by Steph Brennan, the Committee allowed the appeal and found that Mr Brennan was guilty of Misconduct in that he participated in the fabrication of a wound or blood injury. Mr Brennan acknowledged that he had been actively involved in the subsequent cover up of the incident.

The Committee imposed a suspension of two (2) years on Mr Brennan from participating in any capacity in ERC tournaments and will be requesting that other tournaments and Governing Bodies give effect to this suspension in their tournaments.

During the course of the hearing it was disclosed that there had been four previous occasions in non ERC tournaments in which Mr Richards and Mr Brennan had fabricated a wound or blood injury. Details of these incidents will be passed on to the relevant tournaments organiser.

The Club (Harlequins): The Committee found that the club were vicariously liable for the actions of its employees and that the level of Misconduct by its employees was of a greater magnitude than had been established in the original hearing based on the new evidence from Mr Williams and upheld the ERC appeal and increased the fine imposed on the Club to 300,000 Euro, which it must pay in full by 1 December 2009.

Dr Wendy Chapman: The Appeal Committee dismissed the ERCs Disciplinary Officer’s appeal on grounds that the Appeal Committee lacked jurisdiction under the Disciplinary Rules in this particular case.

Notes

Independent Appeal Committee:

a) Following the decision(s) of an independent Disciplinary Committee all parties (the Club, player(s), individuals and ERC) have the right to appeal the decision(s) of the Committee.

b) The independent Appeal Committee is chosen by the Chairman of the independent Disciplinary Panel Professor Lorne Crerar.

c) None of the members of the independent Disciplinary Committee who issued the decisions being challenged in the appeal(s) may sit on the independent Appeal Committee.

d) The full written decision(s) for the original independent Disciplinary Hearing and the Appeal Hearing will be made available on ercrugby.com/disciplinenews at a later date when the full written decision(s) of the Appeal hearing have been completed and issued to all parties

Tom Williams should not have faked his blood injury. At the original hearing, he should not have covered up what happened. He did, however, but finally came clean. It was good that he did so and it is heartening that his twelve month ban has been reduced to just four months. Hopefully they will fly by and he will be back in the First XV in November.

Dean Richards turned Harlequins around as a rugby club. When he arrived, the team had just been relegated. At the end of last season, we finished second in the Premiership. He cheated. Not just once but numerous times, but I'm a Dutchman if his cheating took place in anything other than a cultural context in rugby union in which directors of rugby and other staff regard bending the rules and plain breaking them as acceptable. That this is the case is certain judging by recent statements made by other people involved in the game.

After yesterday's hearing, Richards said he would reflect overnight on his ban, but he has three years to do so. As he said, it is a long time, although in fairness to the ERC it is hard to see what else it might have done. I very much hope that in 2012 Dean Richards (and, for that matter, Steph Brennan) is given the opportunity to redeem his reputation within the sport. All men deserve a second chance.

In the meantime, perhaps Harlequins can now put this matter behind it and move on. Although, if the ERC is going to make information regarding other incidents of faking blood injuries available to the relevant authorities, one has to wonder if other punishments may lie in the future.

As for me, I will be checking the BBC website a few times less today. After Richards' ban, I'm not sure I have the heart to keep up with the matter. Let's hope that Harlequins remember the good that he did for the club and do well for him in that context this season.

Church Hopping

Tridentine August. Last weekend I visited the London Oratory for the Old Rite Mass. All went well. Sitting down after communion, I saw a visiting priest do so a few pews ahead of me. He was wearing his clerical shirt. In his breast pocket was a white handkerchief or similar but for a millisecond I thought it was the Nike logo, 'Surely they do not make shirts for priests!' I thought. Nike, being the goddess of victory, would be a wholly appropriate sponsor.

Yesterday, I was to Spanish Place. A beautiful, beautiful church. Much smaller than the Oratory, you could hear the priest speaking much more clearly. You don't imagine the Oratory as a centrepoint of modernism, but it is. What else could explain the fact that it had prayers after the Gospel and homily? Spanish Place, however, went from homily straight back to the Latin.

Mark Evans' Apology

Last Wednesday, the Chief Executive Officer of Harlequins FC, Mark Evans, published an open letter to all Harlequin fans. It appeared on the Quins website. Here it is:

I am writing to update you on recent events at the club so far as I am able, given that disciplinary action is still ongoing. It has been a difficult and challenging time since the initial findings and sanctions were announced by ERC on Monday 20th July. As a club, we felt it was important to wait until we received the written judgement, but before that we had begun conducting our own internal review with the evidence that was available to us. During this process Dean Richards’s resignation from his position as Director of Rugby was accepted and announced on Saturday 8th August.

I would like to thank Dean on behalf of the club for his enormous contribution over the last four seasons. His input has been absolutely central to the improvements the club has made on the field and I am sure that I speak on behalf of the players, staff, board and supporters in thanking Dean and wishing him all the best in his future. It was no surprise to me or the Board that he wanted to take full responsibility for events. One mistake, albeit extremely high profile, should not overshadow a career in which so much has been achieved.

You have probably read in the press that the ERC Appeal Hearing is taking place in Glasgow on Monday 17th August. Our focus as a club now is to reduce Tom Williams’ ban which we felt was disproportionate and to ensure that we do not get expelled from European rugby. The club has accepted the findings of the initial ERC inquiry and has accepted the sanction. The scale of the sanction is unprecedented in the game and the severity of the fine is a clear message, not only to our club but to the game as a whole, that this type of behaviour is not acceptable and will be severely punished. We entirely agree with that message and sincerely hope that no further sanctions are imposed upon a club whose presence in the Heineken Cup is based on playing merit and playing merit alone.

With regards to our internal inquiry, this is still ongoing but has already resulted in a number of outcomes. Aside from Dean’s resignation, we have written to Leinster to formally apologise unreservedly for the incident. We have appointed an independent person to continue the internal review looking at every aspect of this affair but his remit is wider – allowing him to examine any other similar behaviour and helping us to ensure we put stronger processes and policies in place to ensure that Harlequins can start to rebuild its reputation as a successful team, both on the field and in terms of the values that we stand for.

I would also like to apologise to the supporters of Harlequins on behalf of the Club. Some of you will feel that manipulation of the substitution, uncontested scrums and sin binning rules are so widespread in the game that this case has been blown out of all proportion. Others will feel it a terrible episode which makes them ashamed of the club they love. Wherever you are on that scale of reaction, I am sure you would all agree that whatever goes on elsewhere we have got to accept that we have been found guilty of behaviour that cannot be accepted or condoned. For that we apologise to you unconditionally.

However, we must not let one event negate years of hard work that have been put in over the last decade to get us into the position that we are in today. The community schemes, the investment in the stadium, the growth of the fan base, the excellent disciplinary record that we have had up to this point, the way we conducted ourselves in Division 1, the openness we have always striven to maintain with the fanbase. These things define the club in a way that one mistake never can.

We must now work to ensure that the highest of standards are upheld. I am confident that every professional rugby club across the country, and indeed further afield, will be looking at this incident and will learn from how we deal with it. Our organisation needs better processes and procedures. We have been naïve in this regard, but I assure you that we have learnt from this and will endeavour to uphold the great name of your club and of the game of rugby as a whole in the future.

Dean Richards’ departure raises several questions in relation to the management of the playing side at the club. The appointment of a Director of Rugby is a key decision and not one that we as a club will be rushed into. The last appointment took three months and is a lengthy and in-depth process. We may restructure internally or we may seek a direct replacement. I have every faith in the abilities of our existing coaching team of John Kingston, Colin Osborne and Tony Diprose who have all been involved with the club for many years. They will temporarily take on some of the responsibilities left by Dean’s departure including team selection and dealing with the media. The board will ensure that issues such as players’ contracts and strategic decision making are not overlooked.

Finally, we truly value your support and thank you for your commitment to us. We do not underestimate how valuable your support is. Without you we would not have made the progress that we have seen to date nor be able to take even greater steps in the future. We appreciate that it will take time to rebuild some of the faith that you have shown in us but I hope that you will join us on Friday when we play Connacht (7.45 KO at the Twickenham Stoop) and on Saturday when the boys defend their Middlesex 7’s title at Twickenham as a show of unity that we are one club and one that the staff, players and fans alike, are rightfully proud of.

Kind regards,

Mark

I think it is a good letter. Not only does it contain an apology to the fans but thanks Dean Richards for his service to the club over the last four years. Harlequins is what it is today because of him.

Today (and possibly tomorrow), Tom Williams' appeal is heard by the ERC in Glasgow. According to one newspaper report, he will claim that his mouth was cut in the treatment room at the Stoop after he was taken off during the Leinster game. Who did it? Did Dean Richards know? We may soon have more answers. And, indeed, a few free Saturdays if the ERC expels Harlequins from the Heineken Cup.

Before 'bloodgate' (as it is being called by Quins fans at Come All Within) kicked off, I had already decided not to renew my season ticket. I enjoyed my visits to the Stoop last year, but liked the obligation to recoup my money by making sure I went to all the home games less. I then decided that this year I would also visit a few of the lower league clubs to see how they played rugby. I will still do that, but I have to admit that bloodgate has made me feel more passionate about Harlequins than I have for some time. Is it only when the one you love is hurt that you realise that you love them?

One final thing - in my office there is a Leicester Tigers and Wasps fan. There have, of course, been comments about Quins' cheating, but I have to say that both people have been very kind about the whole business. Neither read this blog so they won't be embarrassed. This is the true rugby spirit (or else they know that their clubs were just lucky not to get caught cheating in the past!)

Dean Richards Resigns

Bad news from The Stoop today as Harlequins release this statement:

Following the hearing held and decision made by the ERC panel on the 20th of July, the Club has conducted its own review of the incident. This review is still ongoing. As part of this process, the Club has waited for the written judgement to ensure it had considered carefully the concerns and position of the ERC disciplinary panel. The panel found the Club guilty on two counts. Firstly, that through the act of the player a wound or blood injury was fabricated by some means and secondly, that the club failed to instil in the player a sufficient respect for the laws of the game and ERC. The Panel imposed a fine of 250,000 Euros, half of which was suspended.

The Club fully accepts the verdicts and sanctions imposed upon the Club since it is accountable for the failings of its staff. During the course of this process Dean Richards unreservedly tendered his resignation from his post as Director of Rugby. The board of Harlequins has accepted his resignation.

The Club feels strongly that the severity of the sanction meted out to Tom Williams is unfair and disproportionate and the Club will support him in the event of an appeal on his part against the 12 month playing ban currently in place.

We acknowledge that this whole episode has tarnished the image of the Club which has always sought to uphold the highest standards. The level of scrutiny that clubs such as Harlequins now find themselves under means that procedures and processes which may have served us well in the past are no longer adequate. The Club is urgently undertaking a thorough review of its internal policies with a view to establishing an appropriate ethics code for all staff (both playing and non playing) covering a wide range of areas including respect for the laws of the game.

While this process is still progressing there will no further comment from the club.

Over at Quins fansite, Come All Within, one or two people are interpreting this statement as an admission that Dean Richards was behind Tom William's fabricated injury although it says no such thing. What it does say is that it accepts that Tom Williams cheated and that the club has accepted Richards' resignation for failing to instill a proper respect for the Laws of rugby union in his players.

So far as the Williams affair is concerned, then, beyond the respect issue, it is perfectly possible that Richards had no knowledge of what Williams was doing but has resigned because, as the saying goes, as Director of Rugby, the buck stops with him.

Having said that, given the nature of the case, it remains hard to believe that Tom Williams was acting alone and that Richards has resigned because he told Williams what to do.

What next for Harlequins? A new Director of Rugby is required and fast. Richards' departure will inevitably have destabalised the dressing room. It needs to be settled down as quickly as possible so that the momentum that Dean Richards built up in the four years of his reign is not lost. If no DoR is found in the next month, the opening games of the new season will be nervy indeed.

Necessarily Marginal and Proud Of It

As time goes by I grow less and less fond of posting about the perpetual battle of wills between Catholic traditionalists and liberals. I can see the value in both, but some of the things that representatives of both say and do makes my blood boil or just sigh and shake my head, which is worse.

A case in point is the recent mention given to a Facebook group 'The Tablet Appreciation Society' by Damian Thompson at Holy Smoke. He and Fr. Finigan of The Hermeneutic of Continuity (here) encouraged traditionalists to join the TAS. For what? Not to make friends with actual fans of The Tablet, that's for sure. Puerile. I expect this kind of idiocy from Thompson, but Fr. Finigan ought to know better. But of course, they are both only jesting, but it seems to me to be a joke in very poor taste. This issue of the divide between traditionalists and liberals is just too important to be stupid about.

Yet, although childish, I suppose they were just being silly. And there is a get out in that the administrator of the group can block their membership, if he pleases.

Unfortunately, there is no blocking the nonsense coming from The Tablet. On Twitter, Fr. Finigan has pointed out an editorial from the journal on the Old Rite Mass, which has, it says 'been put in its place' by Archibishop Nicols. The Tablet is, of course, spinning a very reasonable statement by the Archbishop. The statement that convinces me that The Tablet has taken leave of its senses, however, is this one,

Archbishop Nichols neatly answered virtually every objection to the motu proprio, and the Tridentine Rite can henceforth take its proper – and necessarily marginal – place in the life of the Catholic Church.

Necessarily marginal. Think about it. The Tablet is a journal that prides itself on inclusivity. Well, now we know it will include you as long as you believe what it believes. If you don't, your place is necessarily marginal. What a hypocritical stance to take. In two words, The Tablet has now lost the last vestiges of respect that I had for it. This pains me. I would really like to believe the best of The Tablet. But how can I when it takes such a divisive position? The great irony is that the editorial immediately goes on to say that,

[Archbishop Nicols] has made [The Old Rite Mass] accessible to those who are fully committed to Vatican II.

What, by making it necessarily marginal? Is Humpty Dumpty the new editor of The Tablet? I think he must be, because this editorial makes no sense whatsoever. That is not quite true, though. The editorial says that the Catholic Church does not need its own 'culture wars'. By excluding lovers of the Old Rite Mass, however, it will be lucky if in some sense it has not started them already.

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