Drugs In Rugby

Sport
1

What a joke of a decision. Only thing more alarming than the decision is the lack of publicity given to it.

South Africa internationals Chiliboy Ralepelle and Bjorn Basson have been cleared to play on after a judicial hearing found they were not to blame for returning positive drug tests.

Ralepelle and Basson were charged and provisionally suspended after they tested positive for the banned stimulant Methylhexamine (MHA) following South Africa’s Test against Ireland on 6 November.

The Springboks launched an immediate investigation into the source of the stimulant, fearing at the time it may have been contained in supplements or sports drinks given to the whole squad.

During the hearing in Cape Town it was confirmed that MHA was contained in supplements provided to the Springboks team in the warm-up before the game in Dublin.

Ralepelle and Basson were just the unfortunate players to be tested after South Africa’s 23-21 victory at the Aviva Stadium.

The three-man disciplinary panel exonerated both players of any wrongdoing and admonished the South African Rugby Union (SARU) for not having the supplements tested more comprehensively.

SARU chief executive Jurie Roux apologised to Ralepelle and Basson.

‘This verdict completely quashes any idea that either the players or the team were guilty of any attempt to cheat. No responsibility attaches to the players at all,’ Roux said.

'The banned stimulant was in a supplement given to the players in the warm-up before the Test against Ireland and is a product that has been used by the Springboks before - without any adverse analytical findings - and is used by other professional and national teams in both hemispheres.

'It was manufactured in the UK and was tested at SARU’s request by one of only two laboratories in the world equipped to perform the necessary protocols in order to ensure that it complied with the requirements of the World Anti-Doping Authority (WADA).

'That the players subsequently tested positive for a banned stimulant was an enormous shock to the Springbok team, management and to SARU, and I am most sorry that the players have had to endure the stress and stigma attached to a failed dope test.

‘Hopefully this verdict will have laid to rest any idea of any wrongdoing on their part.’

2

poppers is the drug of choice for Irish rugby players

3

:lol:

4

Farcical decision by the authorities charged with overseeing this non-sport.

5

I was heartened by the headline in the Irish Times Today ‘Schoolboy rugby players to face anti-doping drugs tests’ but when you read about testing procedures it is almost pointless really. If they are going to test they should do it properly. Very easy for players to avoid detection by the looks of it…

SCHOOLBOY RUGBY players are to face tests for performance-enhancing drugs under a new plan agreed between sports authorities.
Talks between the Irish Sports Council and the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) on the issue of testing players in schools and underage club rugby have been ongoing for some years. But both parties have now agreed to construct a policing framework that will include player education and testing.
Dr Una May, head of anti-doping at the sports council, said: “We already test at that level in sports like swimming and gymnastics. Rugby is one of the sports where we didn’t have access to players of a younger age. We have been in discussion with the IRFU for a long time and we both felt it was an appropriate time to put procedures in place.
“We are currently finalising how this can be best achieved in terms of, not alone testing, but educating young athletes. This is not a long-term project and we would be confident that we will have in place within the next few months.”
Initial testing will be carried out at elite, or international, level and over time will be applied to other levels, including interprovincials and schools cup matches.
Dr May said testers would not go into schools but would rather carry out checks at rugby fixtures.
She said she was aware that earlier this year four players at South Africa’s top schoolboy competition tested positive for anabolic steroids and potentially faced bans of up to two years. Doping control tests at South Africa’s annual interprovincial tournament, which were carried out on 47 per cent of the participants, saw the quartet test positive.
Two of the results also showed high levels of testosterone and these tests have been sent off for further analysis to Germany to verify whether the levels of testosterone were due to external sources, or naturally produced by the body, according to Khalid Galant, chief executive of the Institute for Drug-Free Sport. He noted that four positives translated into an 8.5 per cent offence rate, which was a serious cause for concern.
Dr May said the decision to test teenage rugby players would not necessarily be followed by the same regime in soccer and Gaelic games. She pointed out that the council examined sports that could potentially pose a higher risk. Aside from steroids, the dangers of supplements such as creatine have long been a concern for dieticians, physicians and parents. She also stressed that the council would be embarking on a wide-ranging campaign to educate young athletes in terms of best practice and nutrition.

6

If they tested for tossers there’d be scarcely anyone playing schools rugby I’d say.

7

Sent you an unrelated PM…

8

I sent Gola an unrelated PM.

9

Yeah well this was important, business related…

10

I could have cleared it up for you: yes 7/4 is a bigger price than 6/4

11

:rolleyes:

Please…

12

[SIZE=5][SIZE=26px]http://www.sportlive.co.za/rugby/morerugby/2013/04/06/doping-in-rugby-as-bad-as-cycling-says-ex-hooker[/SIZE][/SIZE]

[SIZE=5][SIZE=26px] [/SIZE][/SIZE]

[SIZE=5][SIZE=26px]Doping in rugby as bad as cycling, says ex-hooker[/SIZE][/SIZE]

[FONT=Helvetica][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica][SIZE=13px]Sapa-AFP | 06 April, 2013 09:1[/SIZE][/FONT]

[SIZE=4][FONT=arial][SIZE=16px]Former France hooker Laurent Benezech has claimed that people are turning a blind eye to doping in rugby in the same way that was once the norm in cycling.[/SIZE][/FONT][/SIZE]

[FONT=Helvetica]Speaking to Le Monde Benezech said: “The proofs (of doping in rugby) are in front of our eyes but no-one’s interested.[/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica] “Rugby is in exactly the same situation that cycling was before the Festina affair.” [/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica]The Festina affair was an infamous case from 1998 in which the Festina team doctor was stopped by customs officers at the France-Belgium border and found to be carrying various doping products.[/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica] The fall-out saw several doping investigations and admissions from cyclists and in many people’s eyes that was the catalyst to a new commitment to tackle doping in the sport.[/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica] Benezech’s comments come just a week after former France scrum-half Jean-Pierre Elissalde claimed amphetamines were widely taken in the sport during the 1970s and 1980s.[/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica] He also admitted doping during his career.[/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica] Just a few days before that, high-ranking French anti-doping official Francoise Lasne claimed rugby had returned the highest proportion of positive dope tests in France in 2012.[/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica] And according to Benezech, who was capped 15 times from 1994 to 1995, one need only look at the statistics to see the evidence.[/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica] “We went from 20 minutes of effective action to 30 minutes at the end of the 1990s which was the normal evolution due to the players becoming professionals,” he said.[/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica] “But now we’re explaining, even though we’re already at 40 minutes, that we can hit 50 and even, why not, 60.[/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica] “That’s what happened in cycling at the end of the 1990s when logic saw us lengthening the Tour de France’s stages and increasing the difficulties without it posing any problems physically to the riders.” [/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica]Benezech blamed clubs for being complicit in abetting doping by authorising the use of banned substances for therapeutic reasons.[/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica] “In certain clubs there is the legalisation of the use of authorisations given by the doctors, the famous AUTs (authorisations for therapeutic usage), otherwise players would test positive,” he said.[/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica] “The use of AUTs has developed in the sense that the doctor justifies the use (of banned substances) for medical reasons when it’s clear that they are used to improve performance.” [/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica]And Benezech said rugby authorities had to stop burying their heads in the sand or the systematic use of doping would continue.[/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica] “As long as we remain in the dark and refuse to be transparent, we will not be able to avoid endangering the health of sportsmen.” [/FONT]

13

[quote=“Sidney, post: 756538, member: 183”][SIZE=5][SIZE=26px]http://www.sportlive.co.za/rugby/morerugby/2013/04/06/doping-in-rugby-as-bad-as-cycling-says-ex-hooker[/SIZE][/SIZE]

[SIZE=5][SIZE=26px]Doping in rugby as bad as cycling, says ex-hooker[/SIZE][/SIZE]

[FONT=Helvetica][SIZE=13px]Sapa-AFP | 06 April, 2013 09:1[/SIZE][/FONT]

[SIZE=4][FONT=arial][SIZE=16px]Former France hooker Laurent Benezech has claimed that people are turning a blind eye to doping in rugby in the same way that was once the norm in cycling.[/SIZE][/FONT][/SIZE]

[FONT=Helvetica]Speaking to Le Monde Benezech said: “The proofs (of doping in rugby) are in front of our eyes but no-one’s interested.[/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica] “Rugby is in exactly the same situation that cycling was before the Festina affair.” [/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica]The Festina affair was an infamous case from 1998 in which the Festina team doctor was stopped by customs officers at the France-Belgium border and found to be carrying various doping products.[/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica] The fall-out saw several doping investigations and admissions from cyclists and in many people’s eyes that was the catalyst to a new commitment to tackle doping in the sport.[/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica] Benezech’s comments come just a week after former France scrum-half Jean-Pierre Elissalde claimed amphetamines were widely taken in the sport during the 1970s and 1980s.[/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica] He also admitted doping during his career.[/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica] Just a few days before that, high-ranking French anti-doping official Francoise Lasne claimed rugby had returned the highest proportion of positive dope tests in France in 2012.[/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica] And according to Benezech, who was capped 15 times from 1994 to 1995, one need only look at the statistics to see the evidence.[/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica] “We went from 20 minutes of effective action to 30 minutes at the end of the 1990s which was the normal evolution due to the players becoming professionals,” he said.[/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica] “But now we’re explaining, even though we’re already at 40 minutes, that we can hit 50 and even, why not, 60.[/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica] “That’s what happened in cycling at the end of the 1990s when logic saw us lengthening the Tour de France’s stages and increasing the difficulties without it posing any problems physically to the riders.” [/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica]Benezech blamed clubs for being complicit in abetting doping by authorising the use of banned substances for therapeutic reasons.[/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica] “In certain clubs there is the legalisation of the use of authorisations given by the doctors, the famous AUTs (authorisations for therapeutic usage), otherwise players would test positive,” he said.[/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica] “The use of AUTs has developed in the sense that the doctor justifies the use (of banned substances) for medical reasons when it’s clear that they are used to improve performance.” [/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica]And Benezech said rugby authorities had to stop burying their heads in the sand or the systematic use of doping would continue.[/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica] “As long as we remain in the dark and refuse to be transparent, we will not be able to avoid endangering the health of sportsmen.” [/FONT][/quote]

Anyone in Limerick, even with no interested in rugby, knows all about the doping expolits of the Munster boys…A lot of these fellas go on hiatus when younger, due to a mysterious injury, and are back months later the size of tanks… It’s a farce of a game. Aint that right caoimhaoin ?

14

That’s certainly something I have heard and observed in the past, observed in the sense of seeing guy going thru ridiculous changes in a short time. Never saw any drugs though.

15

There was an interesting article in the independent a couple of weeks back by Neil Francis about creatine etc in schoolboys rugby. I think that sort of stuff is used a lot along with the ubiquitous protein shakes etc but I don’t think there’s a wholescale issue with steroids etc in Ireland and on the whole, our players aren’t considered that big at the top level.

16

So creatine and protein is all they are at? Go way you fool.

17

You’d think if our lads were drugged up that they might actually win something

18

Winners don’t use drugs, pal.

19

I didn’t say that. What I said is that if there are instances, then I’d imagine that they’re isolated as opposed to being systematic use. You don’t have any evidence of systematic use in Irish rugby other than “I’ve seen some rugby players and they looked quite big”.

20

Eh yes we do.

Thrawneen met a bloke in a pub one night who told him that drug taking was rife in rugby.