South Africa prop Asenathi Ntlabakanye has been banned for 18 months for doping, his Johannesburg-based club, the Lions, announced Thursday.
The ban, which commenced on May 13, starts with the Lions' United Rugby Championship match against Munster on Saturday and will rule Ntlabakanye out of contention for a place in the Springbok squad for the Rugby World Cup which kicks off in October 2027.
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The 27-year-old made his debut for South Africa aganst Italy in July 2025 but tested positive in a random test carried out by the South African Institute for a Drug-Free Sport (SAIDS) on the Springbok tour of New Zealand last August.
He was dropped from the squad but recalled by head coach Rassie Erasmus for the autumn internationals and played half an hour during the 73-0 rout of Wales on November 29 for the last of his three caps.
The South African Rugby Football Union said at the time that the substance, "which does not enhance performance", had been prescribed by "a specialist doctor in early 2025 for medical reasons" and "at no time" did the player "seek to gain an unfair advantage".
In a statement on Thursday, SAIDS said the player's urine sample tested positive for the hormone and metabolic modulator, anastrozole.
"In terms of the South African Anti-Doping Rules, this substance is classified as a 'specified substance' and does not warrant a mandatory suspension," the statement said.
"The player also self-declared the use of a prohibited anabolic steroid, DHEA," it added.
SAIDS said it had charged Ntlabakanye for using both anastrozole and DHEA in a case heard by an Independent Doping Tribunal Panel which handed down the 18-month ban, subject to appeal.
The Lions issued a statement confirming they had been informed of the ban "following a breach of anti-doping rules".
"Lions Rugby Company will continue to support Ntlabakanye as he navigates the process ahead," the statement said.
