London Irish full-back Delon Armitage charged by RFU after drugs-test 'row'

London Irish full-back Delon Armitage charged by RFU after drugs-test 'row'
London Irish and England full back Delon Armitage could face a ban and miss part or all of the Six Nations if a Rugby Football Union disciplinary committee finds him guilty on Thursday of deliberately pushing and verbally abusing a doping control officer earlier this month immediately after the Exiles’ home defeat against Bath.
London Irish full-back Delon Armitage charged by RFU after drugs-test 'row'
London Irish and England full back Delon Armitage could face a ban and miss part or all of the Six Nations if a Rugby Football Union disciplinary committee finds him guilty on Thursday of deliberately pushing and verbally abusing a doping control officer earlier this month immediately after the Exiles’ home defeat against Bath.
Armitage, who will appear in person at Twickenham in front of a three-man RFU panel chaired by His Honour Judge Jeff Blackett, has been charged with “conduct prejudicial to the interests of the Union and/or the game contrary to rule 5.12 of the RFU Rules”.
When dealing with 5.12 offences the disciplinary committee can issue a range of punishments ranging from modest fines to long bans.
The alleged incident occurred straight after the Exiles’ match against Bath on New Year’s Day when they slipped to their ninth consecutive defeat, in the final minute.
An angry and distraught Armitage ran straight down the congested players’ tunnel at the Madejski Stadium as he headed for the refuge of the London Irish changing room and it is understood that the alleged confrontation took place at this juncture or soon after.
London Irish management were staying tight-lipped on Wednesday night ahead of the hearing but one thing that needs to be ascertained by the committee beyond any reasonable doubt is if the player, emotional after a disappointing defeat and with the adrenalin still running, was given a sufficient 'cooling-off’ period in the changing room before being approached by the doping control officer, who was working for UK Anti-Doping. The officer is also required to identify himself and formally require the sample.
A UKAD spokesperson on Wednesday night said that any disciplinary procedure against Armitage was entirely a matter for the RFU as no anti-doping offence had been committed per se – either the failure to provide a specimen or supplying a positive test.
The spokesperson also added that all anti-doping officers working on their behalf were “under instructions to use sensitivity and common sense at all times” when approaching competitors for their sample request in the immediate aftermath of that individual’s event or game.
The RFU is taking a very serious view on investigating the matter, having been to the forefront of establishing a comprehensive drug-testing programme and protocol within the game generally.
The circumstances of UKAD officers actually requesting a sample has also proved an issue in athletics recently. In January last year two young British shot-putters – Kieren Kelly and Jamie Stevenson who were both considered possible contenders for a GB placed at the 2012 Olympics – were approached by UKAD official for a random test at the Loughborough University athletics complex when a nearby public lavatory was initially suggested as the venue for supplying the sample.
With coach Geoff Capes in attendance the two athletes refused point blank, claiming that the lavatories were too dirty and did not constitute a sterile area. They have however subsequently both been banned for two years for “failure to supply a sample” and now also face a life ban from the Olympics.