Harsh accusation against South African rugby for the drop in anti-doping tests

A publication from the prestigious British media The Telegraphstated that South African rugby has seen a drastic drop in anti-doping over the last decadedespite producing the “highest number of people convicted of doping”.

According to The Telegraph, figures published by the World Anti-Doping Agency show that tests carried out by the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport (SAIDS) fell from 785 in 2015 to just 127 in 2024. In fact, South Africa recorded a total of 89 doping cases during this period, representing a global total of 20%. In turn, the media mentions that this decline in tests occurs during a golden era for the Springboks, who won two consecutive World Cups, in 2019 and 2023.

It should be remembered that among those involved in doping are the 2019 world champions, S’busiso Nkosi and Elton Jantjies, who were suspended in 2024 for three and four years, respectively. While Aphiwe Dyantyi, one of the promises of South African rugby in 2019, also received a suspension for positive doping in that same year. Meanwhile, the current Springboks prop, Asenathi Ntlabakanye, who is summoned to face Felipe Contepomi’s Barbarians, faces two charges after failing a test, although he denied any irregularity and was not provisionally suspended.

SAIDS chief executive Khalid Galant put the blame on financial pressures and the suspension of the WADA-accredited South African laboratory, forcing samples to be sent abroad at higher cost, and admitted that reducing rugby’s participation in total testing was “not ideal”. Separately, a World Rugby spokesperson said: “South African players, along with many other countries, will be in our control group, so we test them throughout the year, including out of competition. Our out of competition testing includes home visits. Players will also be tested by us at the World Cup, in European professional club rugby competitions if they participate in them and as part of the November window.”