Former England head coach Sir Clive Woodward has rejected claims that his 2003 side cheated during their Rugby World Cup success.
In a document, uncovered by a documentary on talkSPORT , Richards said: “The use of fake blood, cutting players, re-opening wounds, feigning injury in the front row, jabbing players with anaesthetic all occur regularly throughout the game.”
Richards’ observation noted: “Rugby World Cup 2003. England used faked blood to manage replacements.”
Woodward, writing in The Times, has refuted the claims that his 2003 heroes were involved in a similar practice.
“We won every match in Australia. Why would we want to cheat? This is simply not true.
“I am not sure why Dean raised this. I have never been involved in anything like this. It is ridiculous.”
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Wayne Barnes call for three changes to ‘improve rugby’
Discover the three significant changes Barnes advocates for rugby union in the current landscape, aiming to enhance the game’s appeal and competitiveness.
Read his full column for The Telegraph by clicking here.
Change one: Referee reviewers must encourage the game to flow
He wrote in his column: “With the game crying out for less stoppages and for more attacking rugby, a general philosophy around allowing the game to flow should be the focus of what the selectors are feeding back to match officials.”
RUCK Judgment: Spot on – it just makes sense that referees are recognised for promoting gameplay rather than enforcing rules to the extent that the game halts more frequently than in American Football.
