Tom Williams (rugby player, born 1983) member of the “200 Club” having represented Harlequins for over 200 1st games. During the 2008–09 Heineken Cup quarter final against Leinster, Williams was told to fake a blood injury by Dean Richards to allow a tactical substitition to reintroduce Nick Evans leading to the bloodgate scandal. This resulted in a 12-month ban for Williams, (reduced to four months on appeal), a three-year ban for former director of rugby Dean Richards as well as a two-year ban for physiotherapist Steph Brennan from the ERC with a £260,000 fine for the club. Tom remains the only one to apologise for this
Rugby union in Bulgaria Rugby union in Bulgaria Rugby union in Bulgaria is a minor but growing sport. Bulgaria is ranked 90th worldwide by the International Rugby Board (IRB) as of 8 October 2007. There are 3,026 Bulgarian rugby players. Rugby union in Bulgaria is governed by the Bulgarian Rugby Federation, which was formed in 1962. Bulgarian rugby is centred on the capital, Sofia. Although rugby was well organised in Bulgaria during the 1960s, the first international was not until 1976, when Bulgaria lost to Czechoslovakia. Bulgarian rugby has not traditionally enjoyed a high reputation. For example, in 1988, an anonymous French rugby official