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Welsh Rugby speak to Gatland following Off The Ball interview

The Welsh Rugby Union have spoken to their former manager Warren Gatland after he revealed suspic...



Welsh Rugby speak to Gatland f...
Rugby

Welsh Rugby speak to Gatland following Off The Ball interview

The Welsh Rugby Union have spoken to their former manager Warren Gatland after he revealed suspicions of performance-enhancing-drug use by one of his players.

WRU said in a statement that they are "satisfied with the clarity" Gatland provided them after a conversation to discuss his comments.

Gatland was speaking to Joe Molloy on Wednesday Night Rugby and said he had no suspicions of any of his players having used performance enhancing drugs, before reflecting and admitting there was one particular player that could have.

"I think we all want [rugby] to stay as clean as we possibly can," the British and Irish Lions coach said.

“You know I haven’t come across personally any players from a Wales perspective that I would - well sorry, maybe one. Maybe one, now that I think about it."

Asked if the player in mind had played for Wales, Gatland responded: “He may have done, yeah.”

“It’s probably a little bit unfair of me to say I had suspicions about one of them because I’ve got no evidence or anything like that.

“Because it’s kind of like just saying, ‘Is there a possibility?’... It was more like a couple of people making jokes sort of thing. And you go, ‘Oh is that…'

“Truth in humour?,” Molloy asked.

“Yeah, exactly,” Gatland said.

“I’d like to think that the sport is clean. From a New Zealand perspective, I think it’s pretty clean.

“When you go down levels… We’re seeing positives in Wales as well at junior levels and in other nations as well.

“There’s always that temptation in players at wanting to try to play at a higher level and taking the risks at taking drugs. I definitely don’t condone that,” Gatland commented.

A WRU statement said on Friday: "We've spoken to Warren to understand his comments in their entirety and we are satisfied with the clarity he provided.

"All appropriate anti-doping protocols and rigorous procedures are in place in Welsh rugby and the WRU are proactive in the delivery of this."

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Doping Lions Warren Gatland Welsh Ruby