22 Dec 2011

NZRU confirms two drug breaches in 2011

6:19 pm on 22 December 2011

The New Zealand rugby union says there were two breaches of its anti doping rule over the year but none were by All Blacks or other international players.

Drug-Free Sport New Zealand is responsible for rugby's anti-doping programme and conducts drug testing on players from provincial level upwards.

This year's testing programme did not include Rugby World Cup 2011 where testing was carried out by tournament organisers.

In total, 170 tests were undertaken with neither of the two violations detected involving any illegal substance or a player attempting to enhance performance.

The two cases both involved Bay of Plenty provincial level players.

One player evaded a drug test and was was subsequently banned from the sport for two years.

The second involved a player who sought treatment for a medical condition from the team doctor but failed to get clearance to use a banned drug to treat the condition.

The player was subsequently suspended for two games.

The NZRU general manager professional rugby Neil Sorensen says the two violations were unusual and aren't indicative of any significant problem with drugs but serve as a timely reminder to players that they need to be aware of their obligations.