A former secondary school rugby player has been handed a four-year suspension by New Zealand Rugby after he admitted breaching New Zealand Rugby's anti-doping rules while still at college.
The player was found to have used Clenbuterol in 2014, having made several purchases of the drug at the time.
Because the player was a year 12 student when he committed the offence, making him a minor at the time, New Zealand Rugby says he cannot be identified.
"After assessing evidence, and the player's own conflicting evidence, the committee believed the player knew he was taking some risks and understood that the anabolic agent was banned from sport," NZ Rugby says in a statement.
The player said he was using the banned substance to aid weight loss, having never received any educational advice about using Clenbuterol.
However, the committee concluded the player knew that by taking Clenbuterol it would strengthen his muscular power and make him a stronger player as he pursued a desire to play 1st XV rugby.
On those grounds, the committee decided no reduction to the suspension could be approved, meaning he received a four-year ban from all rugby. The ban was backdated to begin on August 1 2017.
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