The Sunday Mail
Springbok Aphiwe Dyantyi’s B sample has tested positive for banned substances, the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport has said.
It was disclosed last weekend that the 2018 Rugby World Breakthrough Player of the Year had tested positive after a Springbok training camp in July. Dyantyi, who missed out on a chance of selection for the Rugby World Cup in Japan this month because of a hamstring injury, insisted he had not taken any banned substance and requested a B sample test.
“I want to deny ever taking any prohibited substance, intentionally or negligently, to enhance my performance on the field,” he said after the A sample result was disclosed.
“I have never cheated and never will. The presence of this prohibited substance in my body has come as a massive shock to me.”
The 24-year-old wing from the Golden Lions club in Johannesburg can accept the charge and plea for a reduced sanction or appeal before an independent tribunal panel.
Should he plea not guilty, there will be a hearing within four weeks and Dyantyi must provide evidence that proves his innocence.
However, Springbok coach, Rassie Erasmus, clarified the role of Felix Jones, his former assistant at Munster and now the Boks defensive consultant has joined them ahead of the Rugby World Cup. Jones was appointed in the place of Swys de Bruin, who resigned due to a stress-related illness two weeks ago and left the Boks without an attack coach ahead of the World Cup.
“I perhaps phrased it wrongly when we sent out the media release. He is actually going to analyse opposition defence structures.
“So his job will be to look at opposition defence, how do they defend and what are their weaknesses?” Erasmus explained in appointing Jones.
“He will look at their defence and where we can attack. “When I discussed that in Bloemfontein with the players, we decided that our attacking structures are in place and anyway in the last two tests between myself and Stokke (Mzwandile Stick), we coached the attack with the players.
“The players just felt that if we have somebody, who really knows the northern hemisphere teams well – Ireland, Scotland, teams that we are going to play and to get somebody that we are going to have to analyse their defensive systems, so that we can make our own plans. -SuperSport
