Williams, who was replaced by specialist goalkicker Nick Evans near the end of the game, received a four-month ban while the club’s physio Steph Brennan was banned for two years. The club was also fined 300,000 euros (US$430,000).
After reviewing evidence from the European Rugby Cup (ERC), the RFU chief disciplinary officer Jeff Blackett said no action would be taken against the four unnamed players involved in the other Harlequins incidents because the decisions to use fake blood had been made by team management.
The RFU added that Harlequins were not the only club to fabricate injuries.
“It is apparent from evidence provided to the Harlequins internal review by players who described practices in other teams in which they have played, that Harlequins is not the only club which may have been guilty of inappropriate behavior of a similar kind,” the RFU said in a statement.
“We will be setting up a game-wide task force to review all issues associated with recent events,” RFU chief executive Francis Baron said in the statement.
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