Daniel Matthews, of Bargoed RFC, has been suspended from all sport for a period of two years following after he tested positive for the presence of the prohibited substance benzoylecgonine (a metabolite of cocaine), following an in-competition test on 24 March 2018, after a match against Cross Keys RFC.
WRU Head of Rugby Operations Julie Paterson said, “We strongly urge players to take heed of the education available and lengthy suspensions received by players who breach the rules. We want players to make good decisions both on and off the field, and the information is freely available for players to make these decisions. We are committed to our anti-doping education and awareness programmes, we’ve increased our efforts to train a network of UKAD educators and advisors and club integrity officers to ensure players, coaches and athlete support personnel are well-informed on issues such as supplements, medications and anti-doping rules and are fully aware of their responsibility in the matter.
“We hope that these measures, and the lengthy bans received by players who violate the rules, whether deliberately or inadvertently and whether they take performance-enhancing or recreational substances, will reduce the risk of long-term bans which damage players’ on and off-field careers, the reputation of all involved, not to mention the general health of players.”
All information on how to check medication, supplements and banned substances can be found on the WRU website at www.wru.wales/antidoping
