OPINION: Asenathi Ntlabakanye faces long road back

Late last week the Lions and Springboks were finally given the unfortunate news they had been dreading, that prop Asenathi Ntlabakanye would receive an 18 month ban for his doping violation.

Ntlabakanye tested positive in May last year for anastrozole, a non-performance-enhancing substance, while he was also charged for declaring the use of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), a performance-enhancing substance, on a medical form.

But the case was not straightforward as both substances were prescribed by a doctor, making things a lot more complex, which was proven by it taking a year for a hearing to be held and a verdict to be handed down.

Usually when a player is caught doping they receive a stiff ban of four years, which Elton Jantjies and Aphiwe Dyantyi received in 2024 and 2019 respectively, Sbu Nkosi received a three year ban in 2024, and Chiliboy Rallepele received a two year ban in 2014 and an eight year ban in 2019.

Shorter ban

Thus, the fact that Ntlabakanye only received a ban of a year and a half indicates that the Independent Doping Tribunal who heard his case, must have accepted, to an extent, that he was misled by doctors, but also came to the conclusion that he should have known what he was putting into his body.

Players who have received four year bans often struggle to return to the highest levels of rugby, as seen by Dyantyi who was named World Rugby breakthrough player of the year in 2018, before his ban in 2019, and since his return has struggled to establish himself at the Sharks and Bulls and now plays in the French third division.

For 27-year-old Ntlabakanye though, he may be able to return to top level rugby since his ban is a lot less severe, while he will also likely be supported by both the Lions and Springboks who believe he didn’t do anything wrong.

He also has the chance to appeal the verdict to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which he will decide on in the coming days, but if he is unsuccessful, or if he accepts his ban, he will be unavailable until at least November next year.