The Rugby Football Union has been made aware by European Rugby Cup (Ltd) of the positive doping test given by Matt Stevens following the Heineken Cup match against Glasgow Warriors in December 2008.

The procedure for potential doping offences is clearly laid out in the ERC Regulations and as such the player is immediately provisionally suspended from all competition.

 

 

Matt Stevens

A decision on a replacement for Matt in the EPS squad is being considered by England Team Manager Martin Johnson and an announcement will be made in due course.

The RFU condemns the use or distribution of prohibited substances or methods as defined by the World Anti-Doping Agency Prohibited List.

The RFU is the only Union of the International Rugby Board to have appointed their own full-time anti-doping officer. Gavin Dovey joined the RFU from the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) in December 2006 and is responsible for the RFU's anti-doping programme. From January 5, 2009 he has been assisted by Tom Cleary.

The RFU operates a robust in and out of competition domestic testing programme conducted and co-ordinated by UK Sport in compliance with the WADA International Standard for Testing. In addition players are subject but not limited to testing as part of the RBS 6 Nations, Heineken Cup, Guinness Premiership, Barclays Churchill Cup and IRB testing programmes, including the Rugby World Cup.

Under the RFU and IRB anti-doping Regulation 21 any player may be tested anytime, anywhere. Players may be selected to provide a sample at random or be subject to target testing without prior notice, at matches, squad training sessions or as part of an individual out of competition testing programme.

In season 2007/08 the RFU and UK Sport carried out a total of 390 tests on rugby players in England under the RFU's testing programme, with over 65% conducted out of competition with no advance notice.

In addition, under all known testing programmes (i.e. including RBS 6 Nations, IRB, Barclays Churchill Cup, ERC etc) the total number of tests conducted on rugby players in England in season 2007/08 was 459. Only two (2) Anti-Doping Rule Violations were reported for this period, one for the presence of a prohibited substance (marijuana) in a player's sample and the other for a player's failure to comply with sample collection.

To date in season 2008/09 150 tests have been carried out on rugby players in England under the RFU's testing programme, with over 80% conducted out of competition with no advance notice. This type of testing is considered to be the most effective to deter and detect the use of prohibited substances. There has been one Anti-Doping Rule Violation, for the presence of a prohibited substance (stanozolol) in a player's sample