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Chris Malone's hamstring has a lot to answer for having triggered Bloodgate, nearly finished his career as a professional rugby player and left him in danger of missing the birth of his second child.
The London Irish fly-half came on as a replacement for the injured Nick Evans while a Harlequins player in April during their fateful Heineken Cup quarter-final with Leinster. However, he was seriously injured shortly after joining the fray, initiating a sequence of events that would see Tom Williams asked to bite on a fake blood capsule to allow Evans to return to the pitch.
"That game has gone down in rugby history," said Malone, who is tasked with guiding Irish to a second successive Heineken Cup pool win over Brive at Reading tomorrow. "I had no idea what was happening because I was in agony having been helped from the pitch.
"My hamstring pulled off the bone and I needed surgery to re-attach it. That meant having three screws drilled into the bone with the threads exposed so that the tendon could be wrapped around them. The surgeon did such a good job I was back five months later which is remarkably quick.
"I guess there were doubts in my mind about playing again, particularly when the leg was so painful during the early rehab sessions."
Malone's wife was due to give birth around the time of the injury but was three weeks late which proved fortuitous as the former Bath No10 was laid up in bed for more than two weeks, unable to move following the extensive surgery to repair the hamstring.
It meant when she gave birth, Malone was able to hobble to the hospital on crutches to be present and he admitted: "I had to stay off my feet for more than two weeks after the surgery and that meant a lot of time lying in bed.
"If Hamish had arrived any earlier I wouldn't have been able to make it to the hospital. Even though it had been announced I was joining Irish, the Quins physios looked after me during that crucial first couple of weeks and I am sure Irish could have taken the view that I was now damaged goods but they stuck by me."
Malone scored a try in last week's victory in France and added nine points with the boot. Although Irish lead Pool Six, they need to beat Brive again as they are level on points with Leinster while Scarlets are just a further two adrift.
Malone added: "Having reached the Premiership final last season, it's important that we win something and Irish are no longer flying under the radar - people know what we can do.
"We have to back up that 36-3 win over Brive which is something that didn't happen after we defeated Leinster in Dublin and then were beaten by Scarlets at Reading earlier in our pool. Our best wins this season have come on the road and it's about time we rewarded our fans at the Madejski Stadium. We mustn't slip up again."
Australian-born Malone began his Premiership career seven years ago with Bath, where his team-mates included Mike Catt, now the Irish backs coach. And it was Catt's call-up to the England squad for the 2003 Rugby World Cup that proved a key moment for Malone.
He was handed the No10 role and then fought it out with Olly Barkley for the position before switching to Quins, where Evans, the former All Black, was first choice when fit.
Now, Malone is going head to head with Ryan Lamb, a player who signed for Irish after the 31-year-old had agreed his own terms.
Lamb's arrival did not phase Malone, who said: "Toby Booth [Irish director of rugby] told me why they wanted me to sign and the club had also brought in Jamie Lennard from Doncaster and suddenly both of us were out injured.
"Ryan then became available and he also signed for Irish, which gives us tremendous strength in depth in the position, plus there is always Catty. Being in a rota system is just something that has always been part of my rugby. Joining Irish was a good opportunity for me and you never stop learning."
Meanwhile, London Wasps are in touching distance of the Amlin Challenge Cup quarter-finals after Dave Walder, preferred again to Danny Cipriani at fly-half, kicked all of their points in a 12-3 win at Bayonne last night.
