South African rugby players fail drug tests

South African rugby players Chiliboy Ralepelle and Bjorn Basson have been sent home from the Springboks tour of Britain and Ireland after testing positive for a banned substance.

Ralepelle and Basson were randomly drawn for testing by anti-doping officials after South Africa’s victory over Ireland on November 6 and returned an adverse analytical finding for methylhexaneamine, a “non-specified stimulant” on the prohibited substances list of the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada). It is scheduled to be re-classified as a “specified stimulant” from 1 January 2011.

Six Nations Rugby Ltd - who administers the November internationals - informed the South African Rugby Union of the positive tests on Sunday evening. As a result, Ralepelle and Basson have been provisionally suspended from all rugby and will return to South Africa on Monday.

Basson was injured in the Springbok’s victory over Wales on Saturday and had been due to return to South Africa prior to the revelations of the failed drug test. Both players have the right to request that their ‘B’ sample be tested.