England: New twist in Barbiegate saga
Wed, 25 Jun 2008 13:11
The protracted Barbiegate sex scandal that has rocked English rugby since the two-Test whitewash at the hands of New Zealand took another turn when it was confirmed that the Rugby Football Union (RFU) has started a formal investigation.
Jeff Blackett, the RFU's chief disciplinary officer, started his investigation on Wednesday into allegations of misconduct levelled at England players after the 20-37 first Test defeat against New Zealand in Auckland this month and aims to reach his verdict before the national team manager, Martin Johnson, announces his first elite squad next Tuesday.
Blackett, who arrived back from a conference in South Africa, was due to travel to Twickenham to meet leading RFU officials to discuss the scope of his investigation - ahead of a gathering of the governing body's management board.
Blackett refused to comment on the identities of the four players and said his inquiry would not prejudice the quartet, who face legal action in New Zealand with police investigating claims that a woman was assaulted in the hotel bedroom of a player on the Sunday morning following the first Test.
"My remit is to see whether the players broke the regulation in the code of conduct governing behaviour which is prejudicial to the interests of the union," Blackett told The Guardian newspaper.
"I may talk to police in New Zealand to see how their investigation is going, but I want to deal with this matter as quickly as possible, certainly before Martin announces his squad, and I hope to have the full cooperation of the players involved. I will be telling them that nothing I do will compromise a potential criminal investigation.
"That said, nothing is going to be swept under the carpet.
"We are not prepared to release the names of the players who are the subject of the inquiry yet because there is a need to protect individual privacy but we also recognise that the rest of the England squad, who are entirely innocent of breaching the code of conduct, are being tainted by the constant speculation and I would imagine that identities will be revealed at the conclusion of the investigation in the interests of everyone."
Blackett said the sanctions available to him should the misconduct charge be proved ranged from a reprimand and a warning about future behaviour to a fine and suspension.
Players who are named in next week's squad will be asked to sign a contract which runs to dozens of pages and covers behaviour on England duty with sections ranging from sexual relations to wearing gear bearing the logos of rival sponsors.
Johnson must name his squad on July 1 as it is the first day of the new agreement between the RFU and Premier Rugby over the management of elite players.
