RFU defends anti-doping programme that fails to test every Premiership player
The Rugby Football Union has defended its anti-doping programme despite being unable to guarantee that every Premiership player is tested for performance-enhancing drugs at least once a season.
According to the RFU’s anti-doping and illicit drugs programme report for the 2017/18 season – which was published on Tuesday – there were 739 anti-doping tests conducted on professional players across the top two tiers of the English men’s game and top division in women’s rugby.
This represents an 18-per-cent increase on 2016/17 but more than 100 fewer tests than were conducted in 2015/16. Nearly two thirds of those tests were carried out by UK Anti-Doping (UKAD), with World Rugby doing most of the rest and European Professional Club Rugby and the Six Nations also doing some testing.
But, as with previous seasons, this does not mean every player with a club in England’s top men’s division is being tested at least once, every season, because there are nearly 500 players in the league – with
another 150 in Premiership academies – and several are tested multiple times.
Asked by reporters on a conference call to discuss the report, none of its authors were able to confirm that every Premiership player had been tested last season, something many would consider to be the bare minimum for a game based on pace and power.
The 2017-18 anti-doping annual report for rugby in England has today been released on behalf of the RFU Anti-Doping Advisory Group ?
It reflects the diverse landscape of the RFU’s clean sport programme ?
Read full details here: https://t.co/QTP30FNSwo pic.twitter.com/oBGEGFmQsk
— Premiership Rugby (@premrugby) April 23, 2019
UKAD deputy director of operations Hamish Coffey said the RFU’s programme was “comprehensive but it’s not just about the numbers”, explaining that the testing was targeted for maximum effect and large sums of money were also spent on education.
RFU medical services director Dr Simon Kemp, who also chairs its anti-doping advisory group, said “no programme would have a hard and fast minimum number of tests”, while the manager of the RFU’s anti-doping and illicit programme Stephen Watkins claimed having a minimum requirement would not have the same deterrence effect because it would be predictable.
In terms of the numbers, those 739 tests resulted in only two violations: one was for Wasps player Ashley Johnson using a contaminated supplement – for which he received a six-month ban – and the other was for Yorkshire Carnegie player Brandon Staples testing positive for steroids, the first such case in English pro rugby since 2011. Staples received a four-year ban.
?? 739 tests within the professional game
?? 99 tests conducted in the community game
The RFU has published its annual anti-doping report.
More: ?? https://t.co/wn7Y0hndQH pic.twitter.com/Vwm4pyZMFT— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) April 23, 2019
But, as Kemp admitted, there can be no room for complacency, as a further 99 tests in community rugby (the club game below the second tier) produced three bans, which help explain why rugby union is by some margin the most sanctioned sport by UKAD. Of the 66 bans on its current list, rugby union accounts for 23, with rugby league second on 11 – no other sport has more than seven.
Both the RFU and UKAD believe this is a reflection of wider society’s increasing use of image-and-performance-enhancing substances, combined with a lack of knowledge about anti-doping further down the pyramid. They also said this season’s report will see a further increase in the number of tests done throughout the game after UKAD’s budget by the government was increased in April 2018.
The ‘sport mirroring society’ theory is also the explanation for the four positives from the 332 tests the RFU did as part of its illicit drugs programme. These positives were all for cocaine and Dr Kemp said they all also involved alcohol and players who were “dislocated” from the routines of their teams because of injury.
None of their information was released in the report, as first-time offenders are allowed to remain anonymous, although they were fined and given psychiatric counselling by independent experts. Earlier this month, Sale’s Jake Pope became the first player to breach the RFU’s illicit drugs policy for a second time and was subsequently named, fined and banned for six months.
– Press Association
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Comments on RugbyPass
The 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 commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
61 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
11 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to comments