RFU slaps four-year doping ban on South African
Staples tested positive for the presence of three steroids – including Dehydrochloromethyl-Testosterone, Metandienone and Stanozolol.
The 20-year-old South African was tested after a training session on 9 August 2017 at his club and his urine sample returned an Adverse Analytical Finding .
Staples claimed the AAF was a result of consuming a nutritional drink in South Africa while on holiday in May 2017.
The period of ineligibility has been applied from 7 September 2017 – the date of the provisional suspension – until 6 September 2021.
Stephen Watkins, RFU Anti-Doping and Illicit Drugs Programme Manager added: "This is the first failed test for a performance enhancing substance in English professional rugby since 2011 and a reminder to all that we cannot be complacent in our efforts to keep rugby a clean sport.
"Education and deterrence remain core pillars to our anti-doping strategy and we must ensure we continue to educate players of the risks involved in supplementation. Ultimately individuals are responsible for what they put into their bodies and this case highlights what can happen if a player is not vigilant."
The case was first heard by an independent panel including Mark Hovell (Chairman), Blondel Thompson and Lorraine Johnson.
The case also went to an appeal panel, which upheld the original decision.
The panel included Robert Englehart (Chairman), Kitrina Douglas and Carole Billington-Wood.
Staples, a former Glenwood schooldboy, represented KwaZulu-Natal at both Under-13 and Under-16 level.
Having just spent a number of months in England as an exchange student at Woodhouse Grove, he made good on an invitation to train with the England Under-17 squad.
