It’s back to the rugby arena again for this post. Even though we are not in the rugby season at the moment, my not-so-highly esteemed club is grabbing the headlines again. Last season Harlequins were trailing 5-6 to Leinster in the European Cup Quarter finals. They had already substituted their talented first-choice kicker, Nick Evans, due to injury and when their second choice kicker also went off injured, they were left in a desperate position. They got another player to fake a 'blood-injury' with 5 minutes to go, which within the laws of the game allowed Evans to retake the field (though limping heavily) in order to capitalise on his ability with the boot. Desire to win at all costs took over, and the wheels were set in motion for a monumental piece of cheating that went against the very spirit of the game - or did it? At the risk of being highly controversial, rugby is a game that is often won by playing just on the wrong side of the law, giving away deliberate 3-point penalties rather than 7-point converted tries... teams and players build up reputations with this style of play. Like the bluff in poker, this can so distract the opposition from their own gameplan that they work so hard on stopping their opponents winning 'illegal' ball that they take their eye off the main objective and lose all shape and cohesion. Martyn Williams was brilliant at this for the Lions in South Africa this year, as he often is for his own club, Cardiff Blues. One of the reasons I love rugby over football is that there is, generally, none of that theatrical diving and appealing to the ref. Whilst players may show their disappointment with a shake of the head or raising of the eyebrows, they will accept that the decision of the ref is final and don't feel the need to mob and harangue him – they show some respect. There is an unwritten rule that you see how much you can get away with and if you get caught out and the decision goes against you, you accept it as "fair cop, gov" and move on, even if that is a professional foul that results in a sending-off. But is it realistic for a game that is played in culture of ‘break the rules and see what you can get away with’ to be still able to hold its head up high and claim to espouse the values of integrity and respect? When you play or support rugby, you buy-in to the culture of a game that is played in these grey-areas at the edge of the laws of the game. What Dean Richards and the leadership team at Harlequins did in providing the hapless Tom Williams with a fake blood capsule, whilst incredibly stupid, could simply be explained as an extension of the way modern rugby is played on the field. Richards has held his hand up as Director of Rugby, taken accountability and resigned. A great loss to Harlequins as under his leadership over the last few years they have clawed their way back up from the first division to come second in the Premier League this year. So what's my point? Clearly, heart ruled head in this instance and the desire to win ‘at all costs’ took over. Sometimes we need to challenge the culture in which we work, and think about whether we are using this as an excuse to ignore our own values and integrity. We can all get carried away and make crazy decisions that we will live to regret – the chef who is so driven to make a profit that he uses out-of-date products to control costs, the retailer who would refuse a refund to (and therefore lose) every one of her customers because of the minority that might be abusing this trust, the investment banker who after times of prosperity risks it all by chasing his losses and crashes the economy – this is when it’s time to take a breath, be “heads up” and think about the bigger picture, and what our true values really are. And the ultimate ‘result at all costs’ for Quins? The loss of Dean Richards, a legend of rugby as Director, a 12 month ban for Tom Williams, an up-and-coming young player, a £215,000 fine and the likelihood of being kicked out of the lucrative European competition next season. And the end score of that fateful match? We lost, 5-6 to Leinster.