Sharks hooker Monde Hadebe banned for four years as doping scandal rocks South Africa

Last updated 10:01, July 21 2016


Sharks hooker Monde Hadebe has been banned for four years in a growing doping scandal enveloping South African rugby.

Sport24 and the Sowetan have reported that Hadebe tested positive for two forbidden forms of steroid during random testing in Super Rugby this year, with Khalid Galant, chief executive officer for the SA Institute for Drug-Free Sport, confirming the indiscretions.

South African reports said another Super Rugby player had also tested positive while five players at levels below Super Rugby had also been collared for doping offences.

These included under-21 players and a Currie Cup player.

But Galant revealed to the Sowetan newspaper an alarming doping problem among schoolboy players where they had a implemented a strict testing programme.

"I can confirm that there have been 18 positive doping tests reported to SA Rugby between March 2015 and March 2016‚" Galant told the Sowetan.

"Of those‚ 12 of them are minors who were 18 or younger at the time of testing.

"We continue to test at Super Rugby level and I can confirm that there have been two positive tests. Monde Hadebe is one but the other player cannot yet be named because he is still in the hearing process. The balance of the results have come from Currie Cup qualifying."

Hadebe, 25, hasn't played for the Sharks this year.

He moved to the Kings in pre-season for a trial period but later returned to the Durban franchise under an injury cloud.

Hadebe, a former South African under-20 player, played three times for the Sharks in Super Rugby last year.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/s...-african-rugby