Nichol slams drug-test plan
New Zealand Rugby Players’ association boss Rob Nichol says the controversial decision to drugtest schoolboy rugby players in New Zealand is a ‘‘slippery slope’’ and should serve as a wakeup call for the educational environment.
The professional players’ chief says his organisation does not believe schoolboy rugby players in New Zealand should be taking sports supplements at all. He suggests a major change of thinking needs to take place in this area.
Drugfree Sport NZ have confirmed they will test players involved in the top four first XV finals in Palmerston North in September – a decision it said was prompted by mounting fears secondary school players across the country were doping or taking banned substances to meet growing pressure to perform.
The NZRPA is steadfastly against the testing programme because of the implications potentially involved and the ethics and morality of it. They would prefer a targeted education programme, though admit that a poor takeup from schools has compromised efforts to address the issue via this method.
‘‘To think Drug Free Sport NZ are now looking at secondary school sport and saying we’re concerned there is doping at that level, it’s really sad,’’ Nichol told Trackside Radio. ‘‘That’s not what our school sporting environment should be about.
‘‘Schools should be taking a much more proactive leadership role and be able to say to DFSNZ there is no way kids in our sporting environments are doping, because 1) we’ve got great education programmes, and 2) we’ve set up protocols and processes around teams to ensure it’s just not a possibility.
‘‘But that’s not the case, and something we are finding incredibly disappointing. DFSNZ are the experts when it comes to education around the anti-doping regime, and they should have the opportunity to get in there and educate.
‘‘We’re getting the feeling they’re testing out of frustration, and that’s not a good thing. It is restricted testing, and is quite targeted, but our concern is it’s a slippery slope because there is a level of intensity and performance around secondary schools rugby which is concerning.’’
Nichol said dialogue with DFSNZ had highlighted two major concerns. ‘‘They tried to educate. Some schools took it up but an awful lot didn’t, and we’re bemused by that.
‘‘The second part was the investigation and policing mentality under the anti-doping regime is severe. It’s brutal, and the impact it has on everyone around an individual is severe ... it is a regime effectively made for Russian systematic doping scandals.’’
Nichol said the NRPA’S main concerns in the schools environment were around supplement use, and the potential for young athletes to ingest prohibited substances unintentionally
‘‘There is almost a blase attitude ... ‘I’ve got to take supplements if I want to be a good athlete’ which is a load of rubbish. We don’t for a moment think kids at schools should be taking any supplements. It’s a waste of money and not needed, and any decent nutritionist should tell you that.’’
Nichol said he understood the response from former All Black captain and Christ’s College coach Reuben Thorne that they didn’t need education because their players were taking supplements approved by a nutritionist and conditioning trainer.
‘‘I’d say to Reubs ‘why wouldn’t you educate them because they are taking a risk?’. We are not talking about the intent to cheat or deliberate doping, but they could have taken a supplement handed to them by an uncle or trainer at the gym and because they saw other boys taking supplements, and the nutritionist was OK with that ... then they test positive, and it opens up a whole can of worms.’’
"Schools should be taking a much more proactive leadership role and be able to say to DFSNZ there is no way kids in our sporting environments are doping." Rob Nichol