Speaking to The Times, Harlequins' new Director of Rugby, Conor O'Shea, says the club need not forget 'bloodgate', they just need to move on from it.
"Conor O’Shea refuses to look back. Almost a year since Harlequins were mired in the “Bloodgate” scandal, the former Ireland full back’s return to his first love, in the role of director of rugby at Twickenham Stoop, is aimed at carrying the club forward.
"He admits that the foundations are in place thanks to the work of Mark Evans, the chief executive, and Dean Richards, his predecessor who resigned last August because of his involvement in the use of fake blood capsules during last April’s Heineken Cup quarter-final defeat by Leinster. Indeed, O’Shea, 39, has spoken to Richards about the job in which he will complete his first fortnight next week.
“You are your history, Bloodgate is part of the history,” he said yesterday as he prepares for his first game, against Bath at the Recreation Ground tomorrow. “That’s a chapter which hasn’t been written in the official club histories yet. There’s no need to expunge it, there is a need to move on. Dean did an enormous amount for this club, he’s an icon, a legend of English rugby. He’s still incredibly passionate about Harlequins, which was even more striking when I met him.”
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