Harlequins lock George Robson is sent off for a headbutt on London Wasps scrum-half Joe Simpson PA

HARLEQUINS lock George Robson was accused of breaking the spirit of rugby after he was sent off for head-butting Wasps scrum-half Joe Simpson in a 26-15 defeat at Twickenham.

Quins' reputation was shattered over the summer by the Bloodgate affair and their first step towards redemption was a backwards one after Robson was shown a straight red card after just 46 seconds.

Simpson accepted Robson's apology but he was still feeling groggy after the match and he left Twickenham with a headache and a cut to his nose.

"He came and said sorry after the match, which I accepted, but I am still pretty frustrated and disappointed with what happened," said Simpson.

"It is not really the spirit of rugby, I don't think"

"It is not really the spirit of rugby, I don't think."

Harlequins head coach John Kingston refused to comment on the incident and would not accept there had been a head-butt until he had seen a video replay.

But Simpson said: "I am pretty sure that he head-butted me - I think the video will show everyone what they want to see.

"He tackled me after the ball. I was desperately trying to pull myself away and get to the next breakdown.

"He hung onto me. I thought I was ready to run off and then things happened.

"I was surprised by it. I wasn't expecting it at all.

"I have got a bit of a headache and I am still a bit wobbly."

Wasps director of rugby Tony Hanks insisted referee Dean Richards had no option but to show Robson a red card if he felt there had been a head-butt.

"I can honestly say I didn't see it but Joe Simpson's nose looks like there was a headbutt," said Hanks.

Robson now faces being banned for at least a month.

But Kingston said: "I will do an Arsene Wenger and not make a comment from watching it live.

"George is upset. I spoke very briefly to him. He said sorry to me and he wasn't quite sure how it had all evolved.

"His sorry reflected the circumstances. I don't think it should be taken as a question of whether he had done something wrong.

"We will look and see what the pictures show and reflect on it."

Quins responded defiantly to Robson's departure, taking a 12-5 lead with tries from Ugo Monye and new signing Gonzalo Camacho.

But eventually they ran out of gas and Wasps sealed the victory with a brace from debutant Tom Varndell and a penalty try.

Kingston said: "I thought the players performed admirably. They showed a tremendous resolve which in the circumstances, when you lose a man in the first minute, it would have been very easy to fold.

"Knowing what I know about them, we knew it was never going to happen. We showed huge resolve but from the first minute we never had the opportunity to show what we are about."

Wasps took their time to put Quins away.

Hanks said: "I don't like playing against 14 men. Sometimes they dig a bit deeper, sometimes you get caught out thinking there is space.

"I am very pleased with the result. I would take a one-point win against 12 men first game of the season.

"It was a mixed bag for us. We know we have plenty to work on but we saw some good stuff out there that we can develop."