Springboks Bjorn Basson and Chiliboy Ralepelle will have to wait a while longer before they know their fate in the ongoing doping saga.
A judicial committee, appointed by the South African Rugby Union to investigate the anti-doping charges against the Bok duo, reserved judgment in the case in Cape Town on Tuesday.
Advocate Jannie Lubbe, as chairman, George van Dugteren and Rob Stelzner heard evidence from both players as well as witnesses from Springbok and SARU management in the three-and-a-half hour hearing.
The players were represented by Attie Heyns assisted by Gerrie Swart.
Ralepelle and Basson appeared at the judicial committee, which investigated their expulsion from last year’s tour of Britain and Ireland after testing positive for a banned stimulant.
Ralepelle and Basson, who both play for the Super Rugby champion Bulls, returned positive tests for methylhexaneamine – following the Springboks’ victory over Ireland in Dublin on November 6 and were sent home from the tour and provisionally suspended.
From this year, methylhexaneamine has been transferred to the list of specified stimulants by the World Anti-Doping Agency, meaning the players can be spared a two-year ban if there is a logical explanation.
Neither contested the testing procedure, which allowed the investigation and hearing to take place in South Africa.
Both players denied knowingly taken the substance.
South African officials said they believed a nutritional supplement taken by all the players during the five-week tour may have caused the positive tests and its usage is likely to be reviewed during the investigation.
Fark, I’m always amazed at how these Judicial Hearings are postponed for a result…. gentlemen, the facts are in front of you…. apply the Law, make a finding.
Too bloody scared to make proper decisions…. just like SARU Officials in general.
Hell, it’s not as if they are sitting with masses and masses of evidence to be worked through… where hundreds of wittnesses testified and where volumes upon volumes and crate upon crate of documents were submitted…
It was a simple little 3-hour hearing!
Die flokkers het geweet wat hulle drink of nie, hulle moes versigtiger gewees het of nie…
They admitted the blood results, so there’s no issue whether the substance is present or not, it only revolves around guilt and due dilligence.
Flok, if I had to make decisions that slowly, I could just as well close my doors…. simpel klomp sponsparras!
Well, the facts may have been accepted, but there is some deliberation to be done on appropriate sentencing I’m sure with sanctions that can range to 2 years.
This stuff is not helping a player at all, they suffered enough and i can guarantee you they will learn from it. So move on , NOT GUILTY or Guilty but only a suspended sentence
a bit off the topic here
….
i’m ashamed to admit that i’ve just visited the bulls’ website
but
what an experience!!
sooooooooooooo much better than the website of the stormers!!
come-on stormers, you guys can do waaaaaaay better than that!!
4@ Ashley:
Yip, agree… the Stormers have a very User-Unfriendly site.
The Bulls site has recently undergone a bit of a facelift… some aspects better but also some worse… but it IS a good site.
@ Ashley:
SHAME ON YOU!
loosehead @ 6
stadig nou, loskoppie
remember i still have to visit the cheetahs’ website 😀
.. well, that to say … if they have one!! 😯
..
i have this nagging feeling that they are still distributing a monthly “koerantjie” named “die blikoor” 😀
..
wel, laat die wat ore het, hoor!! 😆
7@ Ashley:
Die Staat HET ‘n website… dis: http://www.vodacomcheetahs.co.za
ok, webmonster
you may take #7 off!!
my sincerest apologies to my freestate mates …. i’ve been under the (false) impression that the term “blikoor” was reserved only for the freestate rugby team … after googling it i found that its been around loooooooooong before that. i do apologise for my foolishness.
please be assured that no harm was intended!!
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