General Rugby Discussion 3

It just shows that medicine and medical safety is something the organisation is highly proficient at. Drug testing is not something that is 'difficult' for them.

The IRFU works with Work Rugby and Sport Ireland to deliver a comprehensive and robust anti-doping testing and educational programme. The IRFU’s anti-doping strategy focuses on the following areas:

• In and out of competition testing of professional rugby players in Ireland
• In and out of competition testing of provincial and academy players, AiL and young players on a pathway to professional/elite rugby, i.e. provincial & national panels Under-18, Under-19 & Under-20 squads
• Investment in additional testing to augment Sport Ireland testing through their User Pays programme
• Mandatory anti-doping education for all tested players in Ireland
• Anti-doping education is available for any youth and senior squads who wish to enhance player knowledge in this area

etc

https://www.irishrugby.ie/playing-the-game/spirit-of-rugby/anti-doping/

"World Rugby’s long-term storage programme"

The polite name for World Rugby's big warehouse full of pi$$

A huge amount of common recreational drugs are all on the WADA banned list - including cannabinoids (cannabis / marijuana), narcotics (heroin, morphine, oxycodone) and stimulants (cocaine / MDMA).

Some of these drugs are deemed to have some performance enhancing quantities, others are used to mask pain etc.

WADA also published a study a long time ago noting how amateur athletes who used recreational drugs were orders of magnitude more likely to use performance enhancing drugs too.

But you can still use them to gain an advantage. I agree about weed as a painkiller because it's no different to taking many legal ones but there still has to be a line somewhere with amphetamines. It's not for nothing that Fausto Coppi was extolling the virtues of "la bomba".

It was also amphetamines that Kimmage heard "rattling around in cyclists back pockets" and himself later took in his career.

A different code I know, but thought this was a pretty cool crowd reaction over in the NRL to the try scoring record being broken.

https://x.com/thegamecaller/status/2032404988564054405?s=46

Trying to discredit journalist as an "ilk" and discount drug cheats as " bad apples". Sounds familiar to me.

Serious questions now exist about the world champions and the dominant second tier team in Europe but ya nothing to see here.

Sorry I did miss where you said paracetamol.

Portugal beat Georgia today in the final of the second tier Euros , great to see them continue progression from World cup, with continued investment/development , maybe we could se them and/or Spain join 6 Nations next decade.

Jack Dempsey is leaving Glasgow at the end of the season to join a Japanese side. It probably rules him out of next years Six Nations and the World Cup. Huge blow for Glasgow and Scotland who both lack power up front as it is. He's one of their few gain line breakers.

The BBC are using George Turners move to Japan as precedent. He wasn't selected at all for Scotland until moving back to England to play for Quins.

Im not so sure, I'm sure traditionalists didnt want France or Italy join when they did, if Portugal continue to make strides over the next 8 years I could certainly see the appeal and will to expand, and that extra motivator - money , probably why they would be slow to get Georgia to join, as well as politically .

Doing this to the best competition in world rugby would be utterly insane. The tournament is so well balanced right now. There were almost no dud games in this Championship, and it produced countless excellent games of rugby.

It's taken a quarter of a century though to get to a place where Italy are properly competitive over the past few seasons.

Adding two poor quality teams into this mix does nothing for the tournament at all. A third string Irish side put 106 points on Portugal last season.

They might be the best of the next tier, but they're still nowhere near the level required.

A hard no from me.