Brendan Gallagher calls for the drugs issue in rugby to be addressed in the wake of the ongoing troubles at Bath The Daily Telegraph.
"Although not the time for alarmism, complacency would be just as dangerous as we wait to see events at Bath unfold and the full truth be made public.
"Dealing with performance-enhancing drugs first, we should note that as long ago as 1998 Ireland second-row forward Neil Francis wrote in his Sunday Tribune newspaper column that he knew some Irish players had been taking them since 1988. Pierre Berbizier, the former France captain and coach, wrote in L'Equipe that the use of such drugs was a "reality" in the French Championship.
"But few top players have ever been caught – South African lock Johan Ackermann was an exception – which is encouraging given the now comprehensive anti-doping testing operated by the unions and the International Rugby Board, in conjunction with Sport UK and the World Anti-Doping Agency."
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