Johannesburg – In the wake of a scandal involving Springbok fly-half Elton Jantjies, South African Rugby on Saturday accused the South African media of “distracting and destabilising” the national team just hours before a Rugby Championship match in Argentina.
In a statement ahead of the match in Buenos Aires later on Saturday, SA Rugby said it was aware that “unsubstantiated allegations of failed tests for recreational drugs by Springbok players are circulating among members of the media.
“Disappointingly, these allegations have already appeared online despite the absence of any evidence to support them.
“SA Rugby has consistently advised all inquiring media that no such reports have been received by SA Rugby or any player from the only authority permitted to perform such tests, the South African Institute for Drug Free Sport.
SA Rugby does not conduct tests.
ALSO READ | ‘I am severely traumatised’ – Zeenat Simjee denies alleged affair with Elton Jantjies, demands an apology
“Despite the absence of any such reports, players and management in Argentina have been contacted to ‘tell their story’, distracting and destabilising the entire camp in the build-up to today’s Test.”
A South African website, SARugbymag said it understood that Rapport, the Sunday newspaper which last week broke a story alleging an affair between Jantjies and team dietician Zeenat Simjee, was ready to publish an “explosive report” about drug abuse in the Springbok camp.
But Tinus van Staden, the sports editor of Rapport, told AFP that his newspaper would not be publishing such a story on Sunday.
According to the website, SA Rugby was understood to be seeking a legal interdict to stop the story.
Van Staden said he could confirm only that there would be no story linking the Springboks to drugs in Sunday’s newspaper.
SA Rugby said it had “no evidence of any adverse analytical findings for any kind of drug – be it performance-enhancing or recreational – by Springbok players and regards the publication or the threat to publish such allegations as a deliberate attempt to sabotage the team’s preparations”.
Follow African Insider on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
Source: AFP
Picture: Twitter/@SARugbymag
For more African news, visit Africaninsider.com
