Springboks Prop Ntlabakanye Banned 18 Months for Doping

South African rugby prop Asenathi Ntlabakanye, a 27-year-old tighthead for the Johannesburg-based Lions and the Springboks, has received an 18-month suspension from an Independent Doping Tribunal Panel for violating anti-doping rules. The ban, effective from May 13, 2026, and running until November 13, 2027, will exclude him from the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia.

The South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport (SAIDS) announced the decision following a hearing that considered evidence over two weeks and deliberations spanning three weeks. Ntlabakanye's urine sample tested positive for anastrozole, a hormone and metabolic modulator classified as a specified substance under South African Anti-Doping Rules, during an out-of-competition test on May 22, 2025. He also self-declared use of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), a prohibited anabolic steroid. Formal charges were filed on September 9, 2025.

The tribunal ruled that Ntlabakanye must forfeit all individual competitive results, benefits, match fees, bonuses, and accolades obtained from the sample collection date onward. Team results remain unaffected. SAIDS, World Rugby, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), and Ntlabakanye each...