After a lengthy wait, Springbok prop Asenathi Ntlabakanye is said to have learned his fate after testing positive for prohibited substances.
Last year, it came to light that Ntlabakanye had tested positive for the non-performance-enhancing banned substance Anastrozole, and which was apparently prescribed by “a specialist physician early in 2025 for medical reasons”.
Yet, athletes are generally given very little leeway under the principle of strict liability as the responsibility ultimately rests with them to double check everything they take.
Complicating matters further is that Ntlabakanye actually volunteered the information in good faith that he had also taken dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), a ‘non-specified’ and ‘performance-enhancing’ substance.
Springbok learns his fate
According to respected rugby write Hendrik Cronje, the Independent Doping Tribunal Panel (IDHP) has now handed down its verdict, and the 27-year-old has been suspended for 18 months.
The ban will be effective from 13 May 2026, and it will rule him out of the World Cup next year.
Lions were already preparing for the worst
Recently, the Lions opted to bolster their front row stocks with the recruitment of former Junior Springbok prop Corne Weilbach.
“We believe and hope for the best for Asenathi. If it doesn’t turn out that way, though, that is one of the reasons why (Weilbach) joined us recently,” coach Ivan van Rooyen admitted.
