Sheahan drug hearing next week

MUNSTER hooker Frankie Sheahan’s doping offence hearing has been scheduled for Monday in Dublin.

The ERC has set up an independent judicial tribunal to deal with Sheahan’s positive sample during a random drugs test at the end of the Heineken Cup semi-final in Toulouse in April. The hearing will be conducted at the ERC offices.

Analysis by the IOC-accredited laboratory in Paris of Sheahan’s B sample has confirmed the presence of Salbutamol, as initially indicated by the A sample analysis.

Salbutamol is a prohibited substance under the IOC list of prohibited substances, upon which the ERC anti-doping programme is based.

The three-man tribunal which will hear the charge against the player will be chaired by legal expert Professor Lorne Crerar, and will include Dr Donald MacLeod and former Scottish international turned administrator Peter Brown.

Sheahan, an asthma sufferer who uses Ventolin, which contains Salbutamol, flew home from Ireland’s pre- World Cup warm-up series in the southern hemisphere when the test results were revealed.

He has indicated the positive finding stemmed from his failing to fill in the right part of a form which declared the use of the substance as an anti-asthma treatment.

At the beginning of each season, players registered by every team in the Heineken Cup are required to sign a consent form in which they confirm they understand the drug testing procedures undertaken in the tournament and agree to partake in the Anti-Doping programme.

The ERC, organisers of the Heineken Cup, says it ran a drug testing programme at almost 25% of the 79 Heineken Cup matches last season, employing the internationally renowned Swedish-based sample gathering agency, IDTM, to conduct its tests.

All tests carried out are done on a random basis with two players from each side being asked to supply samples.

Ulster have verbally agreed a two-year deal with former All Black centre Paul Steinmetz. Ulster had hoped Ireland centre Kevin Maggs would move from Bath, but hopes fell through last week.

Steinmetz, who can also play at fly-half and is a useful place-kicker, was also being chased by Bath who may now attempt to keep Maggs at the Recreation Ground. Ulster coach Alan Solomons hopes to finalise the Steinmetz deal next week.

Steinmetz, who has four season of Super 12 action under his belt, played his one and only game for the All Blacks in the 43-17 victory over Wales in Cardiff 18 months ago.