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Sports scientist highlights issue rugby is facing with drugs in wake of Dyantyi case

Aphiwe Dyantyi in action for the Lions in Super Rugby in June (Photo by Lee Warren/Gallo Images)

The rugby world – and particularly South African rugby – has been rocked in recent weeks by Aphiwe Dyantyi’s failed drugs test. The Springboks winger’s A and B samples tested positive for multiple anabolic steroids and he now faces a potential four-year ban. 

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This is not the first failed drugs test for a South African player in recent months, but it is undoubtedly the most high-profile, as Dyantyi was named World Rugby’s breakthrough player of the year in 2018. 

Respected sports scientist Ross Tucker has now given his thoughts on this topic on Twitter, with a lengthy thread explaining that doping is not necessarily a problem in South African rugby, but in society. 

Tucker, who is a science and research consultant for World Rugby, acknowledged that some players take banned substances inadvertently, but he added that “we should ask whether SA has a cultural/societal doping issue? The answer is clearly yes. Go to a gym and try (not even hard) to get steroids”.

He explained that doping is a problem not only throughout South Africa but also the world, so it will inevitably leak into sport and rugby is not the only one that is facing this problem. 

(Continue reading below…)

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The Science of Sport writer went on to describe the limitations of the current testing system, saying that it is largely ineffective. “Investigation and probing for whistleblowers is far better, with testing to confirm (sometimes).”

He shared the stat that 2.6 per cent of tests over the past two years have been violations in South Africa, but said that it is necessary to see these stats from around the world in order to gauge the severity of the problem.

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The main fault seems to be how hard it would be to test every person in South African rugby, and even harder to test them multiple times. Tucker expanded on why this is so hard by giving an estimate of how many players would need to be tested.

He said: “If you take 391 tests in 2017/18 as an example, imagine that’s got to cover six franchises in SA (250 players?), plus each has academies (300 more?), plus provincial teams (another 300?) plus schoolboys, you’re spreading 391 tests over what? 1,200 players? 1 in 4 per year.”

There does not seem to be the resources to consistently monitor team sports, which suggests that doping may be much more widespread as there will inevitably be players that are not tested at all. Given how dispersed rugby is between national and club set-ups, it only makes the matter of testing and tracking players harder. 

One solution that Tucker put forward is a passport for body composition, which he says will be able to “track over time, muscle mass and body fat levels, and search for unusual patterns”.

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Similar things are being used in sports such as cycling, which allows sustained and regular biological measurements of a competitor. 

Another suggestion is to set limits to mass and muscle mass percentages, which would inevitably deter players from taking steroids, while also having further welfare benefits. 

Ultimately, it was stressed on Twitter that information has to be released from around the world to get an insight into how South Africa compares. Steroid use is prevalent in society and while the testing system allows players to get away with it, it will still be a problem in rugby. 

WATCH: England’s Neil Back features in the opening episode of the new RugbyPass series, Rugby World Cup Memories 

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SK 45 minutes ago
Are Brumbies good enough to take next step? Will Reds ever make final four?

The Playoff format is a sham, a farce and a scam. We, the fans, have all been hoodwinked and bamboozled by it. This is not what we were promised and is a really poor format for a top tier comp. How can the side that lost a first playoff getting a second life in the playoffs now have home field advantage? It is bizarre. Looking at the final standings now and a mission improbable for the Brumbies in NZ it seems as though we have gone on a different path only to end up in the same place. Aus sides have produced a top 3 finish with a semi-final in NZ and the rest of the teams finished in similar spots as last year with only the Waratahs showing significant improvement however it was the Rebels who finished similarly to them last season. So has the reduction from 5 to 4 really yielded the tangible results that one would have expected? The start the Aussie sides had was promising but the finish was rancid. The Reds were a let down. The Brumbies once again carry a fading torch across the ditch. The Waratahs flattered to deceive and the Force were wildly enigmatic. Lets hope the Brumbies defy all expectations and go on to win it. They have the power game to go all the way but the application and consistency of its application is what will count for the most now. The Brumbies must be at their absolute best. One gets the feeling that if the Brumbies lose then the questions surrounding Australian rugby will only grow louder before the Lions series.

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