First; it is hard to believe it happened in the modern 'professional' age.

Second; it is unbelievable that the RFU (and Elite Performance Director, Rob Andrew MBE in particular) did not make sure that all the players were aware of the code of conduct to insure such incidents cannot happen.

And third; the quasi-judicial inquiry that was launched sat somewhere between a Kangaroo Court and a huge vat of whitewash. It was farcical.

If the underlying but not fully articulated accusation of sexual assault or even rape was not lurking ominously in the background it would almost be funny.

Rugby player pulls tasty bird who also fancies his room-mate so he nips in when he gets the chance and finds a warm welcome. For good measure a couple of mates have a peep.

It's the sort of story any likely lad going for bragging rights loves to tell about countless junior rugby tours but, in my experience - and I have been involved with every Lions tour bar two (both to South Africa in the apartheid era) plus every World Cup and countless other international tours as a player or journalist since 1968 - it has not been the norm at international level for a very long time.

I am not saying no international players have had sex on tour in that time - far from it. In my time as a player Lions tours lasted over three months and there was time to fall in love and, in one infamous case, get engaged and break it off before you got back to the regular girlfriend in the UK. The old maxim, 'what goes on tour stays on tour' was absolute within the squad but the times were a changing.

In 1968 the press contingent numbered about eight and they were almost part of the team. I well remember Sunday Times correspondent, Vivien Jenkins, a former Lion himself, leaping to our defence after we had been dubbed the 'unfriendly Lions' in the South African press by a woman who had organised a party with lots of available ladies and was very put-out when nobody took-up the offer.

He promptly wrote a scathing article about the temptations thrown in our way complete with a very unflattering photograph of the woman in question.

By 1971 it was very different and you knew it was better to trust nobody. By 1983 papers such as 'The Sun' were sending news reporters for the first time. That was the last time I can remember even the slightest whiff of sexual scandal - again it involved several players and one girl.

Since then the code of conduct has been totally understood even if it
has not been necessary to put it in writing.

Never do anything that compromises your main job - playing rugby. Never put yourself in a compromising position - because the spin-off affects everybody else in the squad - and, most important of all, never get caught.

Which is why I am flabbergasted that these junior team members did not know the rules.

In these days of Sunday morning recovery sessions and early physiotherapy to speed-up healing there should be no question of staying up all night - this is work not just play anymore.

And that is why I am amazed there is no formal code of conduct in writing already in place. I was the first to leap to the defence of Danny Cipriani because he was guilty of nothing more than a certain youthful naivety when he delivered those tickets to a Soho nightclub.

However, it highlighted the need for a proper set of rules - a job for the Elite Performance Director I would venture - but months later nothing has been done.

What is amusing is the way the ranks have closed in the aftermath of Judge Jeff Blackett's version of 'Much Ado About Nothing' which had no chance of being a real investigation from the moment he had no concrete allegations to deal with.

To his credit he admitted this but reading his report it struck me that, perhaps because the allegations were so serious, the main intention was always to be seen to have done the right thing.

The findings were never in doubt but the misconduct charges became secondary to clearing the players' names about complaints of sexual assault that had never actually been made!

I leave you with a little tale from a bygone era.

Back in 1955 there was a Welsh scrum-half from Maesteg called Trevor Lloyd who went on the Lions tour to South Africa as understudy to Dicky Jeeps.

Very aware that he was a 'valleys' boy with none of the social graces let alone the looks of the likes of Tony O'Reilly he asked a question at one of the early team meetings.

It went something like this. 'What happens if I'm chatting somebody up and one of the other guys comes along? Is he allowed to move in or must he wait for my permission?'

As a result 'Lloyds Law' was formed and it became an absolute rule for all Lions tours that followed. Now it will probably be non-PC even to raise the issue. The age of innocence is as dead as the dodo.