Welsh Rugby Union Issues Warning After Two Players Are Banned For Doping

The Welsh Rugby Union has issued a warning to players about doping after two amateur players were suspended after testing positive for banned drugs.

The bans mean that 30 out of 50 current bans issued by UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) are for either rugby union or league players.

The latest sanctions are both for amateur Welsh players, including a four-year ban for Owen Morgan, who played for Merthyr, after he tested positive for the anabolic steroid drostanolone and for benzoylcgonine, a metabolite of cocaine.

Greg Roberts, who played for Glynneath, was banned for two years after testing positive for a metabolite of tamoxifen – a drug which can increase levels of testosterone and inhibit the growth of male breasts, which are sometimes a side-effect of steroid or hormone use.

WRU chief executive Martyn Phillips said: “These bans serve as a strong warning to everyone in the game that non-compliance with anti-doping rules carries grave consequences.

“There is no place for doping within sport, and it certainly doesn’t fit in with the values of rugby union. Whether intentional, or inadvertent, players have a responsibility to themselves, to each other, to their clubs and to the sport to act within the rules and spirit of the game.”

Nicole Sapstead, UKAD’s chief executive said: “By making the wrong choices, Owen Morgan and Greg Roberts have cheated themselves, their team-mates and their sport. Not only have they damaged their sporting careers, but they have put their health at risk.”