Asthma group backs rugby star

TOP rugby player Frankie Sheahan is a role model for asthmatics despite his latest brush with controversy, the Asthma Society said yesterday.

The hooker is back in Ireland after being sent home from the tour of Australia for testing positive for Salbutamol, a banned drug which is found in common asthma medications such as Ventolin and Salamol.

Sheahan, who is known to use a Ventolin inhaler to control his asthma, has blamed the result on human error, saying he forgot to tick a box on a European Rugby Cup consent form declaring his medication.