Tom Williams leaves the field of play with an apparent blood injury David Rogers/Getty Images

BLOODGATE has claimed another victim after Harlequins chairman Charles Jillings accepted responsibility for the scandal and fell on his sword.

The fall-out from Quins' decision to fake a blood injury during last April's Heineken Cup quarter-final defeat by Leinster intensified this week following the publication of Tom Williams' appeal testimony.

Williams, the winger who left the pitch after biting on a fake blood capsule at the orders of former director of rugby Dean Richards, implicated the board in the subsequent cover-up - and Jillings has responded with his resignation.

So far Williams has been banned for four months, Richards for three years and ex-physio Steph Brennan for two years. The club has also been fined £260,000.

Jillings said in a statement: "As chairman I am ultimately responsible for all decisions.

"I apologise unreservedly to all our stakeholders for inadvertently compounding the issues.

"The escalation of these issues in the public domain needs, I believe, a clear response.

"In this context I have decided to resign as chairman and director.

"Ultimately this happened under my watch, and the failure to control must fall at my door."

Malcolm Wall, who has been conducting an internal review into an episode that has disgraced Quins and caused acute embarrassment to the sport, has replaced Jillings as interim chairman.

Williams and Quins had lied at the initial disciplinary hearing. But the player decided to provide a full disclosure of events at the appeal, which reflected extremely poorly on the club.

In his statement Jillings sought to clarify his actions and strongly denied ever attempting to bribe Williams into staying silent.

Williams was offered a new four-year contract, plus other benefits.

Jillings insisted he was not made aware of the cover-up orchestrated by Richards until after the first hearing, when Williams decided to appeal against his initial 12-month ban.

The statement continued: "We, Harlequins, acknowledge that we failed to control Dean Richards. I trusted Dean.

"As a result of the board's failure to exercise control, the club cheated. This is totally unacceptable."