Bloodgate 'darkest time in Quins history' - Care

Tom Williams left the field during Harlequins' Heineken Cup quarter-final against Leinster in 2009 with a 'blood injury'

Harlequins legend Danny Care has described the Bloodgate scandal as the darkest period in the club's history.

Now infamous images of blood pouring from the mouth of winger Tom Williams in Quins' Heineken Cup quarter-final against Leinster in 2009 rocked the world of rugby.

An investigation found the club guilty of faking blood injuries to make tactical substitutions, resulting in heavy punishments for Williams, director of rugby Dean Richards and physiotherapist Steph Brennan.

"There's no doubt about it, it's the darkest time in Harlequins' history, and rightly so that the punishment was what we got. We deserved it," Care told BBC Sport London.

"It was happening widespread in the game, I just think Harlequins did it really badly and rightly got caught, and it was stamped out of the game completely."

He described himself as a naive 22-year-old playing in the biggest game of his career, which ended in defeat for Quins.

'It took a long time for Quins to regain trust and respect'

Danny Care has won the Premiership with Harlequins in 2012 and 2021

Richards ultimately resigned and was handed a three-year ban from all rugby while Brennan was struck off by the Health Professions Council before winning a High Court appeal almost two years after the incident.

Williams was banned for a year, which was later reduced to four months. Charles Jillings, the club's co-owner, resigned as chairman.

"It took a long time for Quins to regain the respect and the trust of the rugby world," said Care.

"It's always going to be in our past, but it's in our past and we're trying to move on and grow this game."

Central to this has been Care. The former England scrum-half, who has 101 international caps, has cemented himself in the history of the club as an undisputed legend.

He has been part of two Premiership winning teams, as well as the squad that reached the Champions Cup semi-finals for the first time in the club's history last season.

The 37-year-old won three Six Nations Championships with England, including the Grand Slam in 2016. He has made allegations of a "toxic" culture under Eddie Jones' management in his new book.

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Harlequins' most recent Premiership title win was in 2021, when London rivals Saracens were playing in the Championship following their relegation for breaching salary cap rules.

Though Care is good friends with many of the players who were at the north London club at the time, it is another case of a scandal that has had a lasting impact on the game, and which he hopes has been stamped out for good.

"We were up against a team we couldn't compete with for many years but we knew there was something going on," Care said.

"Hopefully, a little bit like Bloodgate, we won't see anything like that happening again.

"All we want is a fair sport for this game that we all love.

"The best team on the pitch should be the team that lifts the trophy at the end of the season and for a few years unfortunately that wasn't happening."

'I realise time is running out'

Care has made 381 appearances wearing the Quins' quarters and has helped the club win three of their first six games of the Premiership season to sit fifth in the table.

Now in his 19th season playing for the Twickenham Stoop side, he admits he does not know if this season will be his last.

"The body's telling me a little bit at the moment now. We're going to be making some decisions quite soon on that," he said.

"I realise the time's running out but I'm just trying to enjoy myself, to see how many games I can get out [there]."

Danny Care made 101 appearances for England