Rugby: Bloodgate won't hurt Harlequins
Former England star Leonard says he will work to erase the stain from the sport.
Abu Dhabi: World Cup winner Jason Leonard admits he was "disappointed" to learn of former England teammate Dean Richards' role in the Bloodgate scandal but firmly believes Harlequins and rugby in general are both strong enough to recover from the most talked about incident of the summer.
Leonard, a vital cog in the England squad which beat hosts Australia to lift the Webb Ellis cup in 2003 told XPRESS: "I was very surprised to hear about the whole thing as I had never heard of anything like this before. My initial reaction was one of total shock and disappointment. But you've also got to be a bit realistic.
"Yes it was a huge mistake on Dean Richards' part; having said that, rugby hasn't had match-fixing like cricket or football. So when you compare it, it is still head and shoulders above the rest."
He added: "Someone asked me if the damage to rugby is irreparable. I said: ‘No'. It might have tarnished the sport slightly, but it's up to people like me and others to bring back that reputation you had before."
Olympic boost
On a brighter note, Leonard who is in Abu Dhabi to attend the Etihad Harlequins Junior Rugby Festival expressed his delight at seeing rugby being added to the Olympics from 2016.
"The idea of rugby becoming a truly global sport is exemplified by its inclusion in the Olympics, as is the case for any sport. And rugby sevens is a great game, very fast and powerful with true athletes playing it. Being here for the junior festival, you can see how rugby has no exclusion. From boys and girls, to old and young to disabled people, everyone's playing it. To see it on a truly global scale like the Olympics is fantastic," said the 41-year-old prop.
Looking ahead to this weekend's showdown between Martin Johnson's injury-hit England and Australia, Leonard said: "It is going to be tough as we face two of the best teams in the world in Australia and New Zealand later. But it's no point complaining about injuries. At the end of the day you've got to still go out there and perform."
