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Wasps release statement as Ashley Johnson 'provisionally suspended' pending RFU investigation
Premiership club Wasps have been rocked by the news that Ashley Johnson has failed a drugs test.
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A statement from the club read “The club is aware that a prohibited substance was reportedly found in an out-of-competition doping control sample provided by Ashley Johnson on February 7 2018.”
“He has been provisionally suspended by the RFU pending final determination of the matter and is therefore currently unavailable for selection.”
“Ashley is currently investigating the possible source of the substance and both he and the club are co-operating fully with the RFU in this respect.”
“We are fully supportive of him in this process but are unable to comment any further at this stage due to the confidentiality of legal proceedings.”
South African-born Johnson joined the Premiership club in the summer of 2012 from Super Rugby side the Free State Cheetahs, whom he’d played for since 2006.
He has played 22 times this season for Dai Young’s side, scoring five tries – his last appearance for the club was in a 24-16 win over London Irish on March 4th
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The 112kg 6’1″ backrow has earned three caps for the Springboks.
Johnson switched successfully to the front row in the 2015/16 season for Wasps, giving the club an option at hooker, and appeared in every match that season for the club.
He made 31 appearances last season crossing for an impressive nine tries.
On Wednesday a 20-year-old South African became the first professional player to fail a drugs test in English professional rugby in seven years.
Brandon Staples of Yorkshire Carnegie has been suspended for a period of four years from all sport following the decision of an independent national anti-doping panel.
Staples tested positive for the presence of three steroids including Dehydrochloromethyl-Testosterone, Metandienone and Stanozolol.
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The 20-year-old South African was tested after a training session on 9 August 2017 at his club and his urine sample returned an Adverse Analytical Finding (AAF).
Staples claimed the AAF was a result of consuming a nutritional drink in South Africa while on holiday in May 2017.
Staples maintained that he wasn’t training at the time and that he consumed the protein shake in the belief that it was free from banned substances.
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In other news: Harlequins prop Joe Marler speaks candidly to The Rugby Pod about the club’s season
The period of ineligibility has been applied from 7 September 2017 – the date of the provisional suspension – until 6 September 2021.
Stephen Watkins, RFU Anti-Doping and Illicit Drugs Programme Manager added: “This is the first failed test for a performance-enhancing substance in English professional rugby since 2011 and a reminder to all that we cannot be complacent in our efforts to keep rugby a clean sport.
“Education and deterrence remain core pillars to our anti-doping strategy and we must ensure we continue to educate players of the risks involved in supplementation. Ultimately individuals are responsible for what they put into their bodies and this case highlights what can happen if a player is not vigilant.”
The case also went to an appeal panel which upheld the original decision.
The looseforward had his contract terminated following the original Anti-Doping Tribunal on 30th November 2017.
During the investigation process, Staples was offered support from the club.
Commenting on the outcome on the Yorshire Carnegie website, Gary Hetherington, the club’s Chief Executive said, “We are naturally very disappointed with the actions of Brandon Staples, who has let himself and everyone at the club down and the four-year suspension sends a stark warning to all professional sportspeople.”
Staples made his debut for Yorkshire Carnegie in the 2016-17 season as a replacement against Bedford Blues in the British & Irish Cup before making his first start at the Dragons Premiership Select, impressing with a try down in Wales. He has not featured for Yorkshire Carnegie this season.
Born in Durban, South Africa, Brandon attended the prestigious Glenwood Boys School, which has produced over 150 international sportsmen, including seven rugby Springboks in the last century.
The big No.8 represented KwaZulu-Natal at under-13 and under-16 level before coming to England in 2014 as an exchange student. He attended Northumbria University and played at Darlington Mowden Park last season on dual registration.
In other news: England and All Blacks dispute over Brad Shields may end up in court.
Comments on RugbyPass
An on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
1 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusades , you can keep going.
1 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
24 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
24 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
24 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
24 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
11 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
11 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
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