Planet Rugby

RFU policy on recreational drug use:THE English RFU has introduced legislation whereby players guilty of recreational substance abuse will not face public disclosure or suspension. The English RFU, Premier Rugby and the Rugby Players' Association have unveiled their blueprint to protect the health and welfare of players and the image of the game.

The initiative means players will be tested for recreational drug use out of competition (non-match days) for the first time. Under World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) regulations, only samples taken in competition (match days) are also screened for illicit substances such as cocaine and ecstasy.

It is hoped the additional testing will prevent cases such as that of Matt Stevens, the Bath and England prop who has admitted to being a cocaine addict for some time before eventually being caught. Under the new policy, the sanction for a first failed test will be €5,700 with the matter being kept confidential between the player, the club, the programme’s medical director and the club’s medical officer.

The club’s director of rugby will not be informed, with a view to helping the player deal with his illicit drug use in private. Rehabilitation will be paid for by the English RFU. Only on the second offence will the player be liable to a 12-month ban and public disclosure. In contrast, anyone caught by Wada faces an automatic two-year ban, creating an enormous disparity between the sanctions for returning a positive sample under the two systems. Effectively, a player who falls foul of Wada on match day will be treated far more severely than had he been tested just three days earlier by the new policy.

*Given the fact of the upcoming Irish-French rivalry at the penultimate stage of the Heineken and Amlin Challenge Cups rugby history notes that 51 years ago yesterday on April 18th, 1959, an Ireland team beat the Five Nations champions France 9-5 at Lansdowne Road. Mick English dropped a goal and converted a try from wing Niall Brophy. It bears no relevance to what's coming in a couple of weeks but this column isn't about to be choosy when it comes to recording Irish wins over France.

Haskell sure to welcome Cheika

ONE Stade Francais player who probably can’t wait for Michael Cheika to arrive in Paris is James Haskell. The England international, who was at the centre of a pointed club v country row during the Six Nations, did not make the match squad for the Heineken Cup defeat to Toulouse despite being fit. Haskell expressed his disappointment on Twitter at the time. “Gutted today, especially as I didn’t play. I was and am 100 per cent fit.”

Stade coach Jacques Delmas had insisted Haskells omission had nothing to do with the club’s dispute over the player not being released from England duty. “We didn’t pick James because we wanted a different lineout option, he said. “He wasn’t on the bench because we wanted a specialist number eight on the bench.”

Toulon and Wilkinson in top form

CONNACHT’S opponents in their Amlin Challenge Cup semi-final Toulon produced the performance of the weekend in the Top14 French Championship but the weekend’s fare was less palatable for Toulouse and Biarritz Olympique who face Leinster and Munster respectively in Heineken Cup semi-finals.

England outhalf Jonny Wilkinson kicked 23 points as Toulon leapfrogged Perpignan with a 33-23 win at a packed Stade Veledrome in Marseille, posting two drop-goals, five penalties and converting one of Luke Rooney’s two first-half tries in what proved a very fiery affair.

Former All Black Andrew Mehrtens came off the bench to propel Racing Metro to victory, coming from behind to beat Biarritz 29-22 at Stade Colombes. Mehrtens’ accuracy ensures the big-spending Parisians make the last six of the tournament, kicking two penalties and two conversions.

Just a week after their win over Stade Francais in a Heineken Cup quarter-final, Toulouse surprisingly succumbed 15-13 away to Bourgoin. Fullback Alberto di Bernardo kicked the home team to victory. If Stade Francais thought their season couldn’t get worse they were mistaken when beatengoing down to a humiliating defeat to already relegated Albi. Leinster coach Michael Cheika will have plenty of work to do when he takes over the Parisian club in the summer.

Dolphin unable to haul home Cronin

DOLPHIN did everything to try to get scrumhalf Sam Cronin back in time to play in Saturday’s AIB League Division One semi-final against Cork Constitution but to no avail.

Cronin was stranded in Berlin because of the volcanic ash that has grounded planes in Ireland, Britain and most of the continental Europe.

The Cork club looked at organising trains, taxis and boats to try to bring him home by a more circuitous route but it was to prove a fruitless undertaking.

They knew on Friday morning he wouldn’t be playing unless there was some miraculous intervention. It didn’t pan out and the talented scrumhalf who had been a try scorer for his team against Constitution the previous week unfortunately missed out.