Simon Halliday, writing for The Times, is dismayed at the scandal that has engulfed his former club, Harlequins.
"Like most people — inside or outside the game — I have been shocked by the recent revelations surrounding my former club and individuals within it, many of whom I have known well for a long time, especially Dean Richards, my former England colleague in many Five Nations campaigns and the 1991 World Cup.
"Having played for Harlequins while an Oxford student and then returned after my departure from Bath, I have a lot of affection for the club. But I believe that the damage to them and the game is inestimable and gets worse as more detail emerges. I can scarcely believe the collusion between the senior officials, in particular as it has affected the career of a young player who was asked to take the full force of the judgment against the club before he rightly decided to tell all.
"I have a special connection with Harlequins because in 1999 I was instrumental in saving the club from the clutches of the Beckwith brothers, who were shareholders. Harlequins were within three days of going into administration and my fellow directors and myself were desperately seeking a way out.
"Then a chance discussion with a corporate broking colleague at UBS led to a call being made to Duncan Saville [the Australian-based businessman], asking if he wanted to buy the club. He flew over and took a tour of the ground, after which there was a handshake and a call from our senior trustee to the Beckwiths to notify them. Saville assumed ownership and I met Charles Jillings, Saville’s right-hand man [and now the Harlequins chairman], for the first time. These two men deserve huge credit for saving a rugby institution."
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