Journalist Paul Kimmage said Munster rugby's (IRFU-approved) signing of a player who served a two-year steroids doping ban is Irish rugby’s "Team Sky hypocrisy" moment.
Paul Kimmage: Munster signing doper is Irish rugby's "Team Sky hypocrisy" moment
Paul Kimmage has compared Munster Rugby’s signing of a new player who served a doping ban to the hypocrisy in Team Sky.
The former pro cyclist turned journalist said Team Sky’s hypocrisy had been exposed of late.
And he believed the signing by Munster rugby of South African Gerbrandt Grobler was a similar moment for Irish rugby.
Kimmage said well known Irish rugby players, current and former, had reacted hysterically when the issue of doping in rugby had previously been broached.
He himself had covered the subject, as had former rugby international Neil Francis; the latter when writing in The Sunday Tribune in the 1990s.
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Kimmage pointed out that many Irish rugby stars and officials had rubbished the suggestion rugby, including in Ireland, had a drugs problem.
And he said the IRFU had very publicly stated it had a zero tolerance policy towards doping.
Indeed, he cited literature produced by the IRFU which said no players had failed drugs tests and that anyone who used drugs had no place in the sport.
Yet he pointed out that the signing of Grobler had been done by Munster and was approved by the IRFU.
The 25-year-old South African lock has served a two-year steroids ban. He was signed by Munster last summer, nine months after his ban expired.
He made his competitive debut for the 'Munster A' team last Friday after recovery from injury.
Kimmage pointed out what he saw as the hypocrisy of the situation when writing in The Sunday Independent at the weekend.
And he returned to the subject with Matt Cooper on The Last Word on Today FM yesterday.
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“Let’s play a little game; and I know Munster fans will enjoy this. And rugby fans will enjoy it because they enjoyed it the last time we played it when we all had a good laugh at Bradley Wiggins and the hypocrisy surrounding the conduct of Team Sky,” he told Cooper.
Kimmage then asked Cooper to read from a series of articles he had brought into the studio.
They contained comments from a large number of Irish rugby players and officials down the years strongly denying there was a drugs issue in Irish rugby.
The comments also related to the IRFU promoting a Keep Rugby Clean campaign and quotes from the IRFU’s chief executive Philip Browne.
“The IRFU,” Browne was quoted as saying, “has a zero tolerance policy towards cheating in Irish rugby and is committed to delivering ongoing education in the area of anti-doping.
“As a sport our message is clear; if you are doping there is no place for you in rugby."
Kimmage questioned how the signing of a player who served a two-year ban fitted in with the stated policy within Irish rugby of zero tolerance; coming from its former and present stars and the IRFU.
And he said Browne should explain how Irish rugby can claim zero tolerance yet sign a doper.
“I don’t have a problem with Philip Browne telling us this; about the zero tolerance attitude to doping in rugby,” Kimmage said.
“Here’s what I need explained to me; if Philip Browne comes out tomorrow and says ‘listen guys, rugby is a professional game and winning is what pays the bills’, that’s absolutely fine with me.
“But that’s not what he’s saying. He’s telling us; ‘send your kids along to play rugby, it’s a safe sport, we’ll take care of them and everything will be fine’.
“All I’m asking Philip Browne and the rugby community to do is spare me that hypocrisy when they go along and Philip Browne and the IRFU rubber-stamp a decision to bring a steroids cheat in from South Africa to play for Munster.
“Munster rugby are not obliged to sign a drugs cheat. There are plenty of young kids coming through from their academy; plenty of Irish kids playing rugby here. They could easily take one of those.”
He said this signing was a signal to young players that Munster rugby would “put its arm around you” even in the event they doped.
Kimmage expanded on his point in the Sunday Independent piece, which you can read by following this link.
And you can listen to Kimmage’s interview with Cooper by clicking here.
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