Springboks Chiliboy Ralepelle and Bjorn Basson will learn if they can play in the 2011 Rugby World Cup on Friday when the South African Rugby Union announces the results of their doping hearing.

Article courtesy of Sport 24 and AP

SARU said on Thursday its chief executive officer, Jurie Roux, and medical manager, Clint Redhead, would appear at a press conference in Cape Town to reveal the verdict of a three-man SARU-appointed judicial committee, which heard the cases of the pair on Tuesday.

Ralepelle, 24, and Basson, 23, who both play for Super Rugby champions the Bulls, tested positive for the banned stimulant methylhexaneamine on the Springboks’ tour of Britain and Ireland late last year.

They face bans of up to two years, which would rule them out of the Bulls’ title defense in the expanded Super 15, as well as the Tri-Nations and the World Cup in New Zealand later this year.

This week, the committee reserved judgment on Ralepelle and Basson after it heard evidence from them and members of South Africa’s team management in a 3-hour hearing.

Both players said they felt they had a fair trial and were confident of being cleared of wrongdoing.

The highly rated youngsters returned positive tests for the stimulant after the Springboks’ victory over Ireland in Dublin on November 6. Their B samples confirmed the results last month and because they did not contest the testing procedures in Ireland, their cases could be heard at home.

They were provisionally suspended from rugby, pending the outcome of the hearing.

From January 1, methylhexaneamine was reclassified to a “specified stimulant” by the World Anti-Doping Agency due to its recent inadvertent use by a number of athletes, meaning the Springboks could be spared the two-year ban if there is a logical explanation for the positive tests and they did not take the substance knowingly.

Ralepelle and Basson could instead receive a retroactive three-month ban or even be let off with a warning.

Methylhexaneamine can be used as a decongestant and a dietary supplement and the South Africa team said a new sports drink it used on the tour – or flu’ medication taken by both players – could have been responsible.

Basson set a single-season record in the domestic Currie Cup last year by scoring 21 tries for the unheralded Griquas, beating Springboks great Carel du Plessis’ 21-year-old record.

The promising winger, who has four caps for South Africa, signed for the Bulls in the offseason.

Ralepelle, a hooker, was the first black player to captain the Springboks when he led South Africa against a World XV in 2006 at the age of 20. It also made him the youngest-ever player to captain the national team.

He has played 18 Tests, most of them as backup hooker to regular Springboks skipper John Smit.

The Bulls begin their preseason preparations with a warmup match on Saturday. Their first Super 15 game is against South African rival the Lions on February 19.