Springboks Chiliboy Ralepelle and Bjorn Basson can return to playing rugby immediately after a Judicial Committee found that there was “no fault” on the part of the players for positive tests for a banned stimulant.
To read the full finding by the Judicial Committee, click here.
Ralepelle and Basson were charged under anti-doping regulations after they tested positive for Methylhexaneamine (MHA) following the Springbok Test against Ireland in Dublin on November 6, 2010.
The players were provisionally suspended from all rugby activities as a result and had to return home from the tour. Basson and Ralepelle attended the hearing in Cape Town on Tuesday after their ‘B’ sample also tested positive.
“This verdict completely quashes any idea that either the players or the team were guilty of any attempt to cheat,” said Jurie Roux, CEO of SARU. “No responsibility attaches to the players at all.
“The banned stimulant was in a supplement given to the players in the warm-up before the Test against Ireland and is a product that has been used by the Springboks before – without any adverse analytical findings – and is used by other professional and national teams in both hemispheres.
“It was manufactured in the UK and was tested at SARU’s request by one of only two laboratories in the world equipped to perform the necessary protocols in order to ensure that it complied with the requirements of the World Anti-Doping Authority (WADA).
“That the players subsequently tested positive for a banned stimulant was an enormous shock to the Springbok team, management and to SARU and I am most sorry that the players have had to endure the stress and stigma attached to a failed dope test. Hopefully this verdict will have laid to rest any idea of any wrong doing on their part.”
The sanction for a positive test is a two-year suspension for a first offence, unless certain mitigating factors can be proved. However Advocate Attie Heyns, acting for the South African Rugby Players’ Association (SARPA) in representing the players, successfully argued that MHA should be treated as a specified stimulant (rather than a non-specified stimulant) since its downgrading by WADA on January 1, 2011.
The distinction allows for a sanction to be reduced or eliminated under IRB regulations if a player can establish how a specified stimulant entered his body.
Speaking on behalf of the pair, Ralepelle said that it was an enormous relief to have their innocence confirmed and to be able to return to playing once more.
“Finally the facts are out there and people can see that we were not guilty and are not doping cheats. We were only doing what the large majority of professional rugby players around the world do by using a supplement,” said Ralepelle. “Bjorn and I were the unlucky ones to be tested on the day and to have had to go through the trauma of the past two and a half months. We’re both now just looking forward to playing again and closing this chapter once and for all.”
As a result of the verdict, SARU had changed its approach to supplements, said Clint Readhead, medical manager.
“We have always been wary of supplements but have tried to manage the risk as the players do want to use them,” said Readhead.
“We did everything in our power to ensure that the supplements we supplied to the players were safe and we thought we’d put in place enough safeguards to minimise that risk. We received a certificate from the lab saying that the product met WADA specifications.
“As a result of these positive tests however we will not endorse, condone or supply supplements to any of our players as one positive test from a rogue batch is too heavy a price to pay.”
The committee was chaired by Advocate Jannie Lubbe SC and was completed by Dr George van Dugteren and Advocate Rob Stelzner SC.
In their findings the committee said: “We are also comfortably satisfied on the evidence of the players and the conditioning coach [Neels Liebel] that they had no intention to enhance their sporting performance through the use of a prohibited substance. It was clear that no member of the Springbok team, including the players themselves, was aware before the two players tested positive that the supplement contained MHA.”
The committee concluded that, in the circumstances, a reprimand was sufficient punishment.
“The players have already suffered the ignominy of being sent home early from the overseas tour, provisionally suspended for nearly three months and having their doping charges made public with the concomitant embarrassment, uncertainty, personal anguish and damage to their reputations.
“Any further punishment for the players would, however, be out of kilter with their lack of fault in the matter. The players are nevertheless strictly liable and a reprimand is accordingly the appropriate sanction in the exceptional circumstances of this case.”
More al die mense. Sterkte vir die jaar se rugby wat voorlê.
Ek het net een voorspelling om te maak: die Stormers/WP gaan heelwat beter doen hierdie jaar. Laasjaar het hul in twee finale verloor, hierdie jaar gaan hul in 3 finale verloor !
😉
Bly om te hoor van Chili en Bjorn, nou is ons op volsterkte (behalwe Hougie wat beseer is)
Glad this is now resolved.
Freegin Supplement Manafacturer must be bloody sued and shot out of the market…. their fault that the supplements were contaminated, as I read this.
Goooooooooooooooo Bulllsssssssssssssssssss!!
Eish, niemand groet ook hier nie: klomp onbeskofte blou bulle !
Yippeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
O en welkom terug BDB!!!!
4@ bdb:
Hellooooooooooooo BiDiBiDi.
Hoe hang die ghoenne?
@ Tripples: Dankie Tripples, sterkte vir jou span.
Hy se toe mos nou halloooooooo
6: lekker blou, dankie. Sien hul wys nie vanaand se rugby nie, maar wel more aand se groot rugby.
8: dag kwagga, sterkte ook vir jou span vir die jaar, mag hul bekerdroogte van 9 maande be-eindig word hierdie jaar.
8@ KWAGGA ROBERTSE:
Hello Pappa Kwagga Pampierperd.
Ek sal effe later vir die mense hier jou BonzaiKwaggatjie se pic hier opsiet om vir die mense te wys hoe trek mens ‘n pas-gebore baba reg aan…..
Hello BDB, welkom terug.
Iemand het gister daar op die anner plek gese hulle wys nie die WP/Leeus se game want Supersport is die kanaal van Kampioene.
More Cheetah for ever, Sharky, Ashley en al die ander spanne se ondersteuners, groet julle nie ?
Thanks ou GBS.
Ja man dit sal nou blerrie gaaf wees!!!!!
12: Hallo SuperBUL, nou praat jy, so bek moet jam kry.
Nou moet ons daardie kanaal net kry om die week daarna ook die Kampioene se wedstryd in Nelspruit ook uit te saai, wanneer die A-span uitdraf.
More BDB. Sakke nog mooi volrond of lyk hulle so effe soos marbles in n nat
Checkers sak?
More ou Superbul
Skies ek het nog nie Superbru gejoin nie. Sal vandag gou daar insak. Hoe loop dinge daar in die verre Noorde?
Dink ou Ashley is nou so diep teleurgesteld dat die hele BB rugby-unie nie geskors is nie, nou wil hy nie eers meer saampraat nie …..
12: Super, hoe sal jy ons A-span kies vir die eerste wedstryd teen die Leeus ?
dagse all julle bloue trulle 😆
#18 Ek dink ou Ash is so diep teleurgesteld dat hy nie vir die Bulle kan skree nie al wil hy hoe graag 🙂
Halloooo Sharky, hoe gaan dit nog met jou?
19: sharky, wys hul Dinsdag se wedstryd tussen Leeus en Sharks ?
@ Tripples:
dagse tripples, goed en met u??
@ bdb:
geen idee nie maar ek is well daar vir die 2 haaie wedstryde
bdb @ 13
natuurlik hert ek gegroet (onder die d-day thread), maar hiesit weer:
…
môre MENSE
(sug) en allie anner goete wattie bulle ondersteun!! 😀
en
ekt ook my mening orie hele storie gegee
..
2. why dont they just ban the bulls?
its
obvious for anyone WITH A BRAIN that they (the bulls) are the guilty party in this whole affair!! 😯
OK, here goes, Kwagga’s son, born beginning of January.
Note how you dress a new arrival correctly!
Also a pic of BonzaiKwaggatjie’s toys…
Go Bulls!
trips @ 20
lol
I have said all along that they would get off.
Hello All!
eish how could kwagga soil his child so bad with that blue bull stuff?? 😯
😆
@ Ashley:
Dagse ou klong 😀 lol dinge goed aan jou kant ??
@ Loosehead:
hiyas loskoppietjie, coming over for a beer??
@ KWAGGA ROBERTSE:
17
hier is dinge honkie dorie, reen was mooi , nie so ongeskik soos daar in Gangsters Paradise nie. Ek op verlof nou nog even beter, en boonop gaan ek na n lekker kamp in die KPNR so 3uur
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