Rugby's steroid trend 'worrying' says UK Anti-Doping boss

[Peat]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/36218785

Debatably all a hoo-haa over nothing, but it does feel like we're getting closer and closer to the first major scandal.

 

[RedruthRFC]

The Henley player has been exceedingly fortunate. I recall a ban for a similar offence which had a chance of costing him his career in the armed forces. Not the first time that Henley have had a player with something that he shouldn't in his system. Maybe penalising teams for individual's transgressions would be an effective deterrent.

Edit: at least two Henley players have been caught out in the past.

 

[Vieux Talonneur]

Totally agree with Peat. Players are under a constant pressure to get bigger faster and stronger and I scarcely believe some of the sights I see on the field now. You do the math.

 

[RedruthRFC]

Indeed. A pessimist is never disappointed, but I was telling anyone who would listen that it PED abuse was rife in athletics and cycling long before big stories blew the lid off it. I wouldn't be at all surprised if the same happened in rugby, although I'm not sure it would be a story of quite such magnitude.

FWIW, I'm not sure that rugby union is any better or worse than other sports in which PEDs represent a significant advantage, but may look worse as a result of the policy of being open about problems and being fairly good at finding them.