LONDON (Reuters) - Harlequins escaped further punishment from the Rugby Football Union (RFU) on Monday despite evidence they faked blood injuries on four additional occasions to the high-profile one they have already been disciplined for.
Former Harlequins director of rugby Dean Richards was given a global three-year ban this month for his role in fabricating a blood injury to wing Tom Williams during a Heineken Cup quarter-final against Leinster in April.
Williams, who was replaced by specialist goalkicker Nick Evans near the end of the game, received a four-month ban while the club's physio Steph Brennan was banned for two years. The club was also fined 300,000 euros (261, 471 pounds).
After reviewing evidence from European Rugby Cup (ERC), the RFU's chief disciplinary officer Jeff Blackett said no action would be taken against the four unnamed players involved in the other Harlequins incidents because the decisions to use fake blood had been made by team management.
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The RFU added that Harlequins were not the only club to fabricate injuries.
"It is apparent from evidence provided to the Harlequins internal review by players who described practices in other teams in which they have played, that Harlequins is not the only club which may have been guilty of inappropriate behaviour of a similar kind," the RFU said in a statement.
Blackett said evidence from the other players involved had been gathered by Harlequins under the promise of anonymity and immunity from disciplinary proceedings and punishing further players would prevent others coming forward as the game attempts to clean up its tarnished image.
The RFU said it would set up a taskforce to deal with the issue of faked injuries.
"We will be setting up a game-wide taskforce to review all issues associated with recent events," RFU chief executive Francis Baron said in the statement.
"The review will be wide-ranging, thorough and the recommendations in the best interests of the whole game and further details on members of the taskforce and its terms of reference will be announced very shortly."
(Reporting by Martyn Herman; Editing by Sonia Oxley)
