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Two-year ban for South African rugby player after positive test for steroids

Gerbrandt Grobler has admitted his guilt and will not contest the sanction.

SOUTH AFRICAN RUGBY player Gerbrandt Grobler has been banned from the sport for two years after testing positive for steroid use.

The positive test came after a Currie Cup match in October of last year, when the second row was playing for Western Province.

Western Province has confirmed that Grobler yesterday signed an admission of guilt after choosing not to contest the case against him “and, thus accept, the sanctions and punishment handed down to him for testing positive for the steroid, Drostanolone.”

Drostanolone is an anabolic steroid that is used in the treatment of some forms of cancer, but is predominantly known as a substance taken by bodybuilders during the ’cutting cycle.’

22-year-old Grobler joined Western Province in 2011, before advancing into the Stormers’ Super Rugby set-up in 2013 and making five appearances in the competition.

A serious ankle injury ruled the lock out for the majority of the 2014 season, although he returned for two appearances in the latter stages of Western Province’s Currie Cup campaign, including one in the final victory over the Golden Lions.

The positive test came after one of those two appearances and Grobler has now been banned from rugby for two years as a result.

Western Province Rugby says it has “iterated that it and will continue to educate its players about using only approved supplements and will continue to promote drug-free sport and assist the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport (SAIDS) wherever possible.”

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Murray Kinsella
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