Rugby drug test bans reduced

An inquiry was launched at the club after the Silver Ball Cup final

Seventeen Penygraig RFC players suspended for failing to take part in drug testing procedures have had their 18-month bans reduced by three months.

On Thursday, an independent appeal panel also reduced the three-year ban imposed on Honorary Secretary Peter Bowen to two years.

The punishment was given to the Rhondda club by a special Welsh Rugby Union disciplinary panel after the squad refused to take drug tests following the Silver Ball cup final win in May last year.

The 17 players who requested appeal hearings were: Ian Jones, Ian Deasy, Geraint Long, Gavin Owen, Gareth Davies, Gareth James, Gareth Blaken, Dean Perry, Carl Hammans, Andrew Thomas, Adrian Lewis, Mark Bowcott, Matthew Hutchings, Nigel Hendy, Paul Dunning, Peter Hinken, Richard Thomas.

Anthony Lloyd and Stephen Walker did not request their cases to be reviewed.

Former club chairman Neil Roper was cleared of all involvement after the Welsh Rugby Union disciplinary hearing in July last year and a subsequent hearing found Shane McIntosh, Nick Jones and Jason Ronan not guilty of the drugs charges.

Moffett said the WRU's actions had been 'full justified'

Gerard Elias QC was chairman of the Independent Appeal Panel appointed by the Welsh Rugby Union to hear the appeals.

He said: "The appeal panel felt able to give a modest discount on the penalty originally imposed on the players because we recognised that the testing of the whole squad was unique, that to an extent there was confusion within the squad and that some of the players, who cannot be identified, would have been influenced by the actions of others."

David Moffett, Group Chief Executive of the WRU said: "We are pleased to finally see an end to this case, which has highlighted the commitment of the WRU to uphold the regulations regarding drug testing in our sport.

"We feel that our actions have been fully justified and that the procedures adopted by both the WRU and UK Sport have been vindicated.

"There is no place in sport for illegal drugs and we expect shortly to announce that even tougher anti-doping procedures are to be introduced into rugby union in conjunction with the world governing body, the International Rugby Board."