Springboks' Ntlabakanye Banned for 18 Months Over Doping Violation
South African rugby prop Asenathi Ntlabakanye has received an 18-month suspension for violating anti-doping regulations, a penalty that effectively rules him out of the 2027 Rugby World Cup. The ban was imposed by an independent tribunal after Ntlabakanye tested positive for dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), a banned substance that boosts testosterone and aids muscle growth, during tests conducted in 2025. Although the player claimed he self-declared the use of DHEA under the mistaken belief that it was permitted, the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport (SAIDS) charged him with an anti-doping rule violation. The suspension commenced on May 13, 2026, and is scheduled to end in November 2027, coinciding with the conclusion of the World Cup in Australia. Ntlabakanye, who plays for the Johannesburg-based Lions and has earned three caps for the Springboks since his debut against Italy in July 2025, retains the right to appeal the decision within 21 days. The Lions Rugby Company confirmed the sanction and stated they would continue to support Ntlabakanye as he navigates the aftermath of the ruling.
Editorial responsibility
- No named human review is recorded for this page.
- Reports are grouped by semantic similarity and deterministic rules. Language models may assist titles, summaries, translation and cross-source analysis; the page itself is projected from evidence records.
- Current automated evidence projection