A French rugby club has hit back at allegations that three of its players had tested positive for traces of banned substances.
On Thursday night French sports newspaper L’Equipe reported that three Racing 92 players – including two All Blacks – had been found to have traces of steroids in their system.
Two of the players named, Dan Carter and Joe Rokocoko, are New Zealand World Cup veterans – with Carter winning Man of the Match honours as his country won the 2015 final.
The third member of the trio, Juan Imhoff, is an Argentina international who represented the Pumas at the last World Cup and took part in the Olympic Sevens tournament, where the Argentines reached the quarter-final stage.
But the club has now issued a statement, in which it claims to be ‘on the side of the law’ and promises total transparency and collaboration with the relevant authorities.
Joe Rokocoko and Dan Carter are two of the three player named (Photo credit: Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
‘We understand the stir caused by the word ‘steroid’,’ the statement reads.
‘This word has strong emotional resonance as it may correspond to immoral and illegal behaviour. It can also correspond to known legal practices, justified by medicine.
‘All medical procedures performed on players cited by the media have been in the full respect of national and international anti-doping rules, both in terms of administrative and medical procedures.
‘Juan Imhoff, Joe Rokococo and Dan Carter are everyday examples of behaviour, generosity and ethics.’
Imhoff (R) represented Argentina at the 2016 Olympic Games (David Rogers/Getty Images)
Simon Porter, a representative of Carter and Rokocoko’s management company the Essentially Group, has also moved quickly to tell the press that the players’ use of the substance in question was covered by Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUEs).
“We have been aware of the issue for a few weeks. Our understanding and assurances we’ve had are all the documents around TUEs were in place,” Porter told the New Zealand Herald.
According to L’Équipe, the positive results stem from tests carried out at Camp Nou in Barcelona after Racing’s victory over Toulon in the Top 14 final.
Carter converted five penalties in the game, while Rokocoko scored Racing’s only try in their 29-21 win.
