The fatal IRFU systems flaw exposed by James Cronin's doping breach
Things couldn’t have worked out better for Munster and the IRFU regarding the curious tale of James Cronin and his slapstick doping violation. If ever there was a perfect week to bury the bad news this was it. In the old way of life, the bizarre case which the high profile Irish province made public on Monday would have run and run and caused a media/online storm, not died a very quick shrug-of-the-shoulders death in the sports reporting vacuum that currently exists due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In the old normal, we would have been smack bang in the business end of the season and Munster, who were due at arch-rivals Leinster last weekend, would not have Cronin available for the last month of the Guinness PRO14.
Deemed ineligible for a one-month period from April 15 to May 16 the loosehead would have missed four matches under normal circumstances, the derby in Dublin followed by Saturday’s trip to Limerick by Glasgow, a Murrayfield visit to face main conference rivals Edinburgh followed by another jump across the Irish sea, this time to take on the Scarlets in Llanelli.
Instead, with rugby around the globe indefinitely suspended and fans naturally preoccupied with the pandemic more than the game, the punishment meted out on April 15 – and only revealed by Munster five days later on April 20 – amounted to a meaningless slap on the wrist for an unintentional anti-doping rule violation that was the result of a third-party dispensing error by a pharmacy. ‘Nothing to see here, folks. Let’s quickly move on’ was the general reaction to the story, but its detail is too unusual to be so lightly dismissed.
Anti-doping cases are very infrequent at European level. The various domestic leagues – the PRO14, Top 14 and Premiership – are more likely to pick up on any breaches given there are just nine European weekends every year so for that fact alone, this Cronin incident is worth teasing out. Not since Matt Stevens’ cocaine bust way back in February 2009 have the European rugby authorities had to deal with an anti-doping case. Misconduct charges, citing and red cards are the usual run of the mill fare.
Munster Rugby and @IrishRugby have issued a statement following the EPCR disciplinary decision in relation to James Cronin.
CEO Ian Flanagan said: “This has been an extremely challenging time for James and the province, and we are glad it has reached its conclusion."
More ??
— Munster Rugby (@Munsterrugby) April 20, 2020
Then there is the Munster aspect to this. Not since Frankie Sheahan got himself in all sorts of bother further back in 2003 after a medic failed to tick the correct box on a therapeutic use exemption form for an asthma inhaler has the province had a doping case to answer at Heineken Cup level. Sheahan was initially banned for two years for high levels of salbutamol in a urine sample given following a semi-final loss at Toulouse. It took a seven-hour appeal hearing to get that punishment reduced to three months, freeing him to feature for Ireland at that year’s World Cup in Australia.
Now, 17 years later, we were back in the realms of another absence of a player therapeutic use exemption. Cronin’s career has never generated much headlines. A 29-year-old capped three times off the Ireland bench by ex-boss Joe Schmidt, 66 of the prop’s 124 appearances for Munster, whom he is contracted with through to summer 2021, have been as a replacement, dating back to an April 2013 debut versus Leinster. He is a popular fella on the terraces despite this regular back-up role, an old-school dog of a hard Munster forward who leaves it all out there whenever he gets his chance.
Now, though, he has been given a prominence for all the wrong reasons. Feeling unwell prior to a match versus Racing 92 which ended in a draw (the game where the visiting Finn Russell dramatically nutmegged Rory Scanell), he was prescribed the antibiotic, Amoxicillin, by Munster team doctor Jamie Kearns, who made dubious headlines last December for sparking an Allianz Park brawl following a verbal altercation with Saracens’ Jamie George.
When Cronin visited the pharmacy he was dispensed medication that was allegedly intended for another customer. The result? Prednisolone and prednisone – corticosteroids – were found in his sample, substances he had no permission to use. What followed was a drawn out saga. It wasn’t until February 19, 88 days after the match in Limerick, that EPCR formally issued their notice of charge against Cronin. Another 56 days were to pass before judgement was eventually handed down. All in, a not inconsiderable 144 days from pillar to post during which Cronin continued to play matches, making six appearances, two coming in the December European games versus Saracens.
This passage of time made the five-page EPCR verdict compulsory reading, its investigation and decision set out in 29 sub-sections by Anthony Davies, the single legal member of the disciplinary panel. That was, of course, once you eventually found the written decision on the European Cup own website.
The news section of the tournament’s official website made no mention of the Cronin decision, instead focusing on semi-final nostalgia and advertised a Champions Rugby Show podcast featuring Jamie Heaslip, the retired Leinster and Ireland player who had his own scrape with doping headlines last autumn when an incident recounted in his autobiography didn’t factually stand up to scrutiny and resulted in a clarification issued via his publisher.
Paul Kimmage: 'Jamie Heaslip has finally spoken… but forgive me if I was expecting more'
https://t.co/G9ZJvPrRVV pic.twitter.com/RXn5MVhnZY— Irish Independent (@Independent_ie) November 4, 2019
Despite two bits of information being redacted – one concerning the probable identity of the pharmacy, the other regarding the labels on the product packaging – the devil of the detail in Cronin’s escapade should worry players the world over. While the prop was essentially exonerated in that he is now serving a short ban where he won’t miss any games, it was still determined that he bore at least some fault for the violation after he was dispensed two medications, Germentin (a trading name for Amoxicillin) and Prednesol 5mg tablets, of which he took nine – five in one dose and four in another – before the match.
That he landed in bother for unwittingly taking the banned Prednesol should concern his contemporaries given how rugby players, by their nature, are effectively institutionalised during the career, living their lives to a very detailed structure handed down by their clubs and told what they can and can’t do. There are intrinsically not allowed to think for themselves so when Cronin was prescribed drugs, he understandably took the prognosis in good faith.
For a sport that tries so very hard to pride itself on its anti-doping message amid whispers that rugby isn’t entirely as clean as it perceives itself, the calamity that subsequently unfolded for Cronin begs the question why an organisation such as the IRFU relies on a third party – busy pharmacies local to its players around Ireland – to dispense medicines?
Reading the Cronin verdict, the IRFU should really consider taking these third parties out of the equation and set up their own in-house pharmacy to administer the various legally prescribed drugs to players. That way they take control, safeguarding players by not having them venture outside their rugby bubble to deal with busy people working in pharmacies who can – as evident here – make unexpected mistakes that have awkward consequences.
This outside link was Cronin’s downfall, Davies’ verdict outlining how the player didn’t have a copy of the prescription that had been emailed by the Munster team doctor to the pharmacy. Instead, he just collected what he was given over the counter after he said who he was, never questioning why on this occasion there were two sets of medication and not just one as was the case when previously prescribed Amoxicillin.
The verdict suggested that Cronin should have been of a mind to google Prednesol, the second medicine he had been given, before taking it as it would have revealed it is prohibited in sport at certain times. Thing is, how often do players – particular 24 hours before a match – ever take these matters into their own hands given how institutionalised they are and reliant on the advice of the experts involved with their teams? Rarely, you’d imagine.
Despite a virtuoso display by Finn Russell, Racing 92 left Limerick with a draw as Munster refused to accept defeat…
?? Munster 21-21 Racing 92 ??
All the action from a #HeinekenChampionsCup cracker at Thomond Park ? pic.twitter.com/ATUr3TzhWI
— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) November 24, 2019
“I have sympathy for the player in this case,” wrote Davies. “While the violation could have been avoided had the player put better safeguards in place, it is clear the player’s violation was the result of a very serious (and unexpected) mistake by a pharmacy. The player saw his name on the product packaging and understandably assumed that it was the medication prescribed to him by his team doctor. He had obtained medication prescribed by his team doctor at the same pharmacy previously without issue. Therefore, it was a careless but understandable mistake… I’m of the view that the player’s level of fault was low.”
Low, but enough all the same to land Cronin in a whole heap of unnecessary trouble where the focus now rests on Munster and the way they go about medicating their players in the future.
Comments on RugbyPass
He would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to commentsResults probably skewed by the fact that a few clubs have foreign fly halves in their 30s, but most teams have young English scrum halves. Results also likely to be skewed by the fact that many teams rely on centres and fullbacks to provide depth at 10, whereas they will need to stock a large number of specialist backup 9s.
1 Go to commentsI really get the sense that when all is said and done, the path of least resistance will end up being a merger of Wasps & Worcester that essentially kills the Worcester Warriors brand and sees Wasps permanently playing at Sixways. I’m not saying that’s what should happen or what I want to happen. I just think it’s the easiest rout to take and therefore, will be what happens. Wasps will definitely return to play first, and I suppose it all depends on if they can find support at Sixways. If people turn up and support Wasps in that community, at that ground, I bet they drop the Sevenoaks plan and just remain at Sixways. Under the radar but not totally unrelated, it looks as though London Irish are going to be brought back from the dead by a German consortium and look set to return, likely to the remade Championship. It’s set to have 12 clubs next season with 14 in 2025/26, what do you want to bet those extra 2 are Wasps and London Irish?
1 Go to commentsThe shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to commentsBold headline considering the Canes and Blues are 1 and 2 and the Brumbies were soundly beaten by the Chiefs and Blues. Biggest surprise is Rebels 4 Crusaders 12 - no one saw that coming. If Aus are improving that’s great 👍
1 Go to commentsAnna, You are right, we need to have patience whilst the others catch up to England and France. Also it is the PWR that has been the game changer for England. the RFU put money into that initially at the expense of the Red Roses. I was sceptical at first but it has paid off in spades.
1 Go to commentsI think Matt Proctor became a 1 test AB in the same fixture. Cameron is quality and has been great this season, can’t believe’s he only 27. Realistically how would he not be selected for ABs squad this year. Only Dmac is ahead of him as a specialist 10. With Jordan out, it will come down to where and when Beauden Barrett slots back in, and where they want to play Ruben Love. Cameron seems an absolute lock in for the wider squad though. Added benefit of TJ-Cameron-Jordie combination at 9, 10, 11 too.
1 Go to commentsFarcical, to what end would someone want to pay to keep this thing going.
1 Go to commentsHavili, our best 12 by a mile, will be in the squad, if he stays fit. JB is the most overrated AB in the last 50 years.
61 Go to commentsWe had during the week twilight footy, twilight cricket, tw golf plus there was the athletics club. Then the weekend was rugby 15s plus the net ball, really busy club scene back then but so much has changed and rugby has suffered. And it was all about changing lifestyles.
6 Go to commentsIn the 70s and 80s my club ran 5 Senior sides plus a Vets. Now it is 2 sides with an occasional 3rd team. Players have difficulty getting to training now, not sure why and the commitment is not there. It seems to me more a problem of people applying themselves and not expecting to turn up and play whenever they want to.
6 Go to commentsROG’s contract is until 2027. The conversation about a successor to Galthie after RWC 2027 may be starting now. We can infer that Galthie’s reign stops then. He is throwing the Irish Coaching Job angle in because he is Irish. The next Irish coach MUST be Leo Cullen. As well as being the best coach available, coaching the vast majority of Irish Internationals week in week out, he has shown incredible skill at recruiting the best coaching staff for the job in hand. That was a failing in France. Cullen is a shrewd guy and if there is a need for foreign coaches underneath him he won’t hesitate. Rightly so. Ireland does need to start to bring Irish coaches through. Not just at the professional level but we need to train coaches to man new pathways for developing kids from schools/clubs up through the divisions.
8 Go to commentsNo Islam says it must rule where it stands Thus it is to be deleted from this planet Earth
18 Go to commentsThis team probably does not beat the ABs sadly Not sure if BPA will be available given his signing for Force but has to enter consideration. Very strong possibility of getting schooled by the AB props. Advantage AB. Rodda/Skelton would be a tasty locking combination - would love to see how they get on. Advantage Wallabies. Backrow a risk of getting out hustled and outmuscled by ABs. Will be interesting to see if the Blues feast on the Reds this weekend the way they did the Brumbies we are in big trouble at the breakdown. Great energy, running and defence but goalkicking/general kicking/passing quality in the halves bothers me enormously. SA may have won the World Cup for a lot of the tournament without a recognised goalkicker but Pollard in the final made a difference IMO. Injuries and retirements leave AB stocks a bit lighter but still stronger. 12 and 13 ABs shade it (Barret > Paisami, Ione = Ikitau, arguably) Interesting clash of styles on the wings - Corey Toole running around Caleb Clark and Caleb running over the top of Toole. Reece vs Koro probably the reverse. Pretty even IMO. 15s Kelleway = Love See advantage to ABs man for man, but we are not obviously getting slaughtered anywhere which makes a nice change. Think talent wise we are pretty even and if our cohesion and teamwork is better than the ABs then its just about doable.
11 Go to commentsCompletely agree. More friday night games would be a hit. RFU to make sure every club has a floodlit pitch. Club opens again Saturday to welcome touch / tag. Minis and youths on Sunday
6 Go to comments1.97m and 105Kg? Proportionately, probably skinnier than me at 1.82 and 82kilos. He won’t survive against the big guys at that weight.
56 Go to commentsThe value he brought to the crusaders as an assistant was equal to what he got out of being there. He reflected not only on the team culture but also the credit he attributed to the rugby community. Such experience shouldn’t be overlooked.
8 Go to commentsGood luck Aussie
11 Go to comments