Steffon Armitage provisionally suspended after drug test result

[John123]

Steroids were about when I did my leaving in 95. It wasnt rife but it wasnt uncommon either. I can only imagine with the advent of professionalism it has become more common with young lads who see it as a way to help them bag an academy contract.

Most of RHH's post wasnt very relevant and filled with heresay yet everyone decided to lap it up without a thought....no offence RHH as the same could be said for my post yet I'll be ridiculed for making outlandish claims. I just wish people would open their eyes, look at some of the freaks on show in London...for me some of those body shapes are not possible without the help of drugs. I would say the same for many rugby players out there today too.

[McCloud]

Steroids were about when I did my leaving in 95. It wasnt rife but it wasnt uncommon either. I can only imagine with the advent of professionalism it has become more common with young lads who see it as a way to help them bag an academy contract.

Most of RHH's post wasnt very relevant and filled with heresay yet everyone decided to lap it up without a thought....no offence RHH as the same could be said for my post yet I'll be ridiculed for making outlandish claims. I just wish people would open their eyes, look at some of the freaks on show in London...for me some of those body shapes are not possible without the help of drugs. I would say the same for many rugby players out there today too.

RHH post filled with heresay? Really? 'Lap it up without thought' yet you 'imagine' it's rife? Not being in the coaching game as long as RHH but haven't seen kids or heard of any kids eating that stuff. BTW what's this thread to do with London?

[John123]

Did you even read my post McC?

[Red Hand Hero]

Steroids were about when I did my leaving in 95. It wasnt rife but it wasnt uncommon either. I can only imagine with the advent of professionalism it has become more common with young lads who see it as a way to help them bag an academy contract.

Most of RHH's post wasnt very relevant and filled with heresay yet everyone decided to lap it up without a thought....no offence RHH as the same could be said for my post yet I'll be ridiculed for making outlandish claims.

I just wish people would open their eyes, look at some of the freaks on show in London...for me some of those body shapes are not possible without the help of drugs. I would say the same for many rugby players out there today too.

I'd grant you long-winded but none of that is hearsay. It is an account of my own experiences and the experience of others whose word I would trust.

The stuff about body-types, or should I say somatotypes, is certainly not hearsay or something I just made up out of observation. It is scientific fact-ectomorphs, endomorphs and mesomorphs. Professional rugby players are almost all probably classic mesomorphs with some variation towards either end of the scale for slender backs/bigger forwards e.g. Mike Ross would be a bit endo IMO. The fact these guys are natural meso's means they put on weight, read muscle mass, in a way that many others would find difficult.

I would also stand over the point that the risk/reward for substance abuse in rugby is much reduced than in comparison to track and field sports for example. If you are an international rugby player, or even just a really good professional player, is juicing up really going to help you? In my opinion no. Too much to lose too little to gain.

The benefits of doping are marginal; they make a cyclist, sprinter or whatever else a tenth of a second quicker here three tenths there but that is largely useless in rugby because it is an 80 minute game that requires the use of both major muscle groups. In rugby the only thing that I think might potentially be used is blood doping which would give players better 'staying power' over 80 minutes. That said if it was institutional, which I don't think it could be, it would only be done at an elite level as it is a very dangerous practice if done by someone other than a skilled physician. I say this in the full acknowledgement that I don't know the most up-to-date advances in doping but I have not ever seen or heard of a drug that I'd ever thought 'jesus that'd really help a rugby player'.

My final point was that the players that it might be most attractive to are those on the edge of squads, development squads etc that will mistakenly think getting on the juice will get them over the line. Perhaps in the short-term they are correct, it will allow them to shift some more tin in the gym or beat a rival in the sprint tests but rugby is still about 15 guys versus 15 guys at any one point. If you have to rely on some form of illegal substance to make it into the programme in the first place you will be found out and quickly either getting banned and you're hopes and dreams going up in flames with it, or just because you didn't have the dedication and bloody mindedness to begin with...you took the quick fix and it didn't work.

What I can say with 100% confidence is that guys who are in the Academy's have a tough introduction to pro-rugby for very little financial gain. Whilst their mates are going out on the piss and riding birds 3/4/5 times a week those boys wil be lucky to get either or once a week. They're in the gyms most mornings before you or I will be getting up for work and it really does cut the men from the boys. They are eating like bloody trojans and on every legal supplement there is-fish oil, amino's, Vitamins ADE and whatever the feck else, flaxiseed oil so fourth so fifth. Second to that is that the gym stuff is only one side of it, they also have to up their skill levels-cognitive, motor, fine, awareness etc etc. There are no drugs you can take that can help you throw a double miss off your bad hand or perfect a show and go or dummy as you glide through a gap or land 10 kicks consecutively from each touch-line before you can get into the shower on a bitterly cold and wet afternoon.

As I think I have been alluding to throughout rugby, and indeed other traditional team sports, are hugely different to the sports where doping is prevalent. Physical conditioning is only part of the deal, you also have to have an extremely strong skill-set to compete. Usain Bolt recorded an Olympic Record on Sunday evening at 9.63 seconds or whatever ridiculous time he did it in. That said I would bet my bottom dollar he couldn't have stood up Chris Latham the way Jason Robinson did in 2001 and I say that as a huge admirer of Bolt's abilities as an athlete.

If you would like to put forward the names of some of the players you think could* be on the juice I would be interested to hear them if for no other reason than I can't personally think of any myself.

*Disclaimer this is not intended to be in any way libellous, we are simply a bunch of grown men and a few women debating how brawny, buff and maybe beautiful some of our sporting stars could legally be.

[Liam2me]

I've only come late to this thread but did anyone see the BBC panorama documentary the other week on supplements?

The British Medical Journal did research on a load of things being promoted within sport such as energy drinks.

Things like powerade and lucozade were found to be ineffectual unless you are an elite athlete doing more then 3 hours continuous exercise. That the message of 'keep drinking' is really dangerous, more people have died from.overhydration in the marathon then dehydration and it's not rare.

Running barefoot is the best way to run, all these expensive trainers are a waste of time and actually do damage as they alter your gait (which my podiatrist Mrs backs up)

And finally, all these protein shakes are a waste of time unless the contain creatine or caffeine, you might as well drink milk

[John123]

Listen I know the science bit inside out... endo, ecto, meso etc but if you really think taking juice only makes a 'marginal' difference you really don't know what you're talking about. Obviously ectos have a distinct advantage to start off with but taking the correct illeagal stuff can make a huge difference, in EVERY sport. By the way I'm totally against this stuff but have read a lot on it and it has really opened my eyes up on the topic.

[Hellboy]

One morning at dawn, 2 months ago, the french antidoping agency AFLD made a surprise raid with 40 inspectors in Toulon rugby club.
Testing blood and urine of the whole professionnal group, plus some academy players.
A total of 44 players.

This week, the AFLD confirmed that all tests were negatives, no abormal result detected.

AFLD admited later that this surprise raid was a request by the French Federation.

Got to love them.

[Dumptruck]

One morning at dawn, 2 months ago, the french antidoping agency AFLD made a surprise raid with 40 inspectors in Toulon rugby club.
Testing blood and urine of the whole professionnal group, plus some academy players.
A total of 44 players.

This week, the AFLD confirmed that all tests were negatives, no abormal result detected.

AFLD admited later that this surprise raid was a request by the French Federation.

Got to love them.

Ah they were only takin the piss.

[deltared]

Dope...s