Recruitment of players who have doped will be case by case

The IRFU will continue to assess the recruitment of players with doping convictions on a case-by-case basis in the wake of the controversy sparked by Munster’s signing of Gerbrandt Grobler last summer.

South African lock Grobler joined the province from Racing 92 where he had resumed his career following a two-year suspension after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug in his home country. The 25-year-old has since signed for Gloucester after 11 appearances for Munster in his sole campaign in Ireland.

Injured in pre-season last August, Grobler was not available to Munster until the new year when his signing was questioned in the media. Both the province and the IRFU came in for criticism for recruiting a player who had served a doping ban. The governing body’s chief executive, Philip Browne, reiterated rugby’s zero tolerance towards PEDs in its sport and promised a review of signing policies.