New drug-testing allegations cast shadow on South Africa’s World Cup wins
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Doping.
A fresh storm has gathered over the Springboks’ glittering era of success, with new scrutiny over South African rugby’s drug-testing regime threatening to tarnish back-to-back Rugby World Cup victories.
An exclusive investigation in The Telegraph has revealed that anti-doping controls in South Africa have plunged more than sixfold over the past decade — precisely the period in which the Springboks rose to the summit of world rugby.
According to World Anti-Doping Agency figures, tests carried out by the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport (SAIDS) dropped from 785 in 2015 to just 127 in 2024. During that same span, the UK equivalent body boosted its testing numbers.
For a nation that has produced 89 doping violations — around 20 per cent of the global total — despite its relatively small footprint in the sport, the decline in controls raises uncomfortable questions.
High-profile cases have already brought South African rugby under the microscope. World Cup winner Aphiwe Dyantyi served a four-year ban from 2019 to 2023; Elton Jantjies and S’busiso Nkosi both received long suspensions in 2024 after positive tests.
More recently, Springbok prop Asenathi Ntlabakanye returned a positive sample but continues to play domestically and internationally while contesting the findings.
Critics say the timing of the testing drop is striking. It comes after South Africa’s triumphs at the 2019 and 2023 Rugby World Cups — achievements that now risk being viewed through an asterisk of doubt.
SAIDS has defended the reduction, pointing to the suspension of the country’s only WADA-accredited laboratory in March 2024, logistical challenges and tighter budgets. Samples are now often shipped overseas, a process SAIDS insists complies with anti-doping protocols.
Meanwhile, World Rugby undertakes year-round testing of players in its global pool, including out-of-competition checks and visits.
But for sceptics, the fall in domestic testing during South African rugby’s most successful chapter fuels unease, leaving fans and pundits alike debating just how clean the sport’s modern champions really are.
