Ian Madigan Has His Say On The Use Of TUE’s In Rugby

Former Leinster outhalf, Ian Madigan has had his say on the use of TUE’s (Therapeutic Use Exemptions) in rugby.

The use of the drugs has been a hot topic recently as a result of news breaking that Racing 92 trio Dan Carter, Juan Imhoff and Joe Rokocoko failed a drugs test following last season’s Top 14 final at Camp Nou.

Madigan as described the use of anti-inflammatories as normal part of a professional rugby players life.

“It is a hugely physical contact sport,” said Madigan in an interview with the Irish Times.

“You are going to need help at certain parts of the season. I don’t know enough about what they took but I can only imagine it was some sort of anti-inflammatory cream or an oral anti-inflammatory that was very strong.

“When you hear the world steroids you think, ‘Aw, they’re cheating’ but the reality is there are steroids out there that are perfectly legal. Like, they are not performance enhancing in the sense that they are making you stronger or anything like that. They are merely masking an injury. They are a very short term solution to problem you have at a given time.

“When you are playing professional sport there is massive pressure every week to not only perform but get out on the field,”

 “That comes from other players on your team and from your coaches. You will do whatever it takes, within the rules of course, to get yourself on the field and put yourself in a position to do what’s best for the team.

“I don’t really know the ins and outs of the TUE but they are there for a reason and really shouldn’t be abused.”

He added that he’s sure Racing 92 will get to the bottom of the issue and it will sort itself out.

“Look, I’m sure Racing will get to the bottom of it,” Madigan said.

“For someone like Carter who has been in the game for so long I would be absolutely shocked if any wrong doing was done on his part or Imhoff or Rokocoko.

“The sooner it is made all clear the better for them and the better it is for the game. When I heard it straight away I was very sceptical of the fact they could have been cheating.

“It was something I was very lucky at both Leinster and Ireland there is a great medical team there. They always kept a very close eye on what guys were taking and made sure everyone had prescriptions. Every medication you take at both Leinster and Ireland is registered.

“If they see a certain guy has had a certain amount of injuries in the last six months and he has had to take anti-inflammatories for three weeks in six months they would say ‘We are not going to put him on anti-inflammatories as he is not playing this week.’

“They would be conscious of not just hammering your system with medication and the detrimental effect that could have on you further down the years.

“Off the back of that knowledge I have brought that over here and they are similarly stringent here. They are not just dishing out the medication willy nilly. You only get it if you really need it.”

What are your thoughts on the use of TUE’s in rugby? [Irish Times]