Kiwi duo handed drugs bans in Scotland

Two New Zealanders playing club rugby in Scotland, Justin Matheson and Josh Abraham, have been banned from the game for the maximum two years after testing positive for drugs.

Matheson, 30, of Stirling County was found with both amphetamine and marijuana in his system following routine UK Sport testing during his side’s match at Edinburgh Academicals Saturday 15 March.

Abraham, 22, of Watsonians, tested positive for benzoylecognine, a metabolite of cocaine, following testing at the Heriot’s v Watsonians match on Saturday 22 March.

The Union judicial committee – comprising Rod McKenzie, a senior legal practitioner with law firm Harper Macleod as chairman, Dr Gerry Haggerty, team doctor to Glasgow Warriors, and Heather Barton, head of legal at the SFA – met last night before reaching its decisions.

Matheson declined his right to a hearing and failed to make any submissions either to explain the finding for amphetamine and marijuana, or in mitigation.

The judicial committee determined that he be suspended from all aspects of the game worldwide for the mandatory two years until April 4, 2010.

A formal hearing was held in the case of Abraham who was suspended worldwide for two years until April 9, 2010.

Both players have the right to request a formal post-hearing review of the decisions.

The IRB and UK Sport have been kept aware of proceedings throughout the process and have been advised today of the decisions.

Colin Thomson, SRU Head of Community Rugby, said: “Scottish Rugby has a rigorous anti-doping policy and information is freely available, both on-line and in person, spelling out a clear anti-drugs message to all.

“We encourage all clubs and players, regardless of the level they play at, to avail themselves of that information.

“Our message is absolutely unequivocal. The taking of banned substances, including ’social’ drugs, has no place in our game at any level.”

Gregor Nicholson, Scottish Rugby’s International Administration manager, who is responsible for overseeing anti-doping policy, was keen to play down any suggestion of a social drugs problem in the Scottish game.

He said: “In the last 10 years approximately 2,000 tests have been undertaken on Scottish players through our most comprehensive testing programme with no violations until the recent inadvertent asthma-related finding involving Scotland lock Scott MacLeod earlier this year.

“These two club cases show that we are not immune to the scourge of doping in sport and that we cannot be complacent, but we do not believe that these cases are indicative of a doping problem in Scottish Rugby, whether for performance-enhancing substances or for social drugs.

“The rate of findings for social drugs is incomparable with statistics for the young male population as a whole.”