Rugby: Lucky drug escape for Oliver

All Blacks embarrassed as extra pill for earache creates huge headache, reports Wynne Gray at the Rugby World Cup.

The anguish for Lawrence Dallaglio lasted 94 days and involved far more severe drug abuse allegations but Anton Oliver's overnight scare about being banned from the World Cup for failing a drugs test would have been equally distressing. And embarassing for the All Blacks who have prided themselves on being "clean" and denouncing others for substance abuse.


A World Cup judicial tribunal accepted Oliver's explanation that he took an extra tablet for a sinus and ear infection after confusing the recommended dosage during the flight from New Zealand to Britain.

Oliver received a severe reprimand from the tribunal, avoiding the maximum three months' ban for such a transgression.

His drug abuse is the third public case of a New Zealander after Walter Little's ban for a similar offence for taking a painkiller (now off the IOC banned list) and a Dunedin player who tested positive for steroid use.

A total of 300 players, half of those at the World Cup, have been drug tested and so far only Oliver has returned a positive sample, for pseudo-ephedrine, a substance found in sudomyl but banned over a certain level. As soon as Oliver heard of the problem, All Black officials said his immediate concern was for the team's fortunes rather than his personal welfare.


The management, Oliver and team doctor John Mayhew gathered all the information and presented their case that the All Black hooker had "unwittingly" taken a double dose because of continuing sinus problems when he arrived in Britain. It was not a performance-enhancing drug but was illegal over a level of 10 micrograms.

Oliver accepted the entire blame and described his error as "cavalier."

Initially the RWC was not going to reveal the player or the team but the All Blacks insisted yesterday on a public revelation.


Ironically, said Mayhew, the UK Sports Drug Agency wanted to test the All Blacks within 10 minutes of them arriving at their hotel but he managed to persuade them to wait until the next morning to give the players time to repair after the long flight from New Zealand.

It was during the night that Oliver woke in some distress and took the extra tablet to get some relief.

There were more headaches for him yesterday until the RWC accepted his explanation.

"I always thought drug-taking was wrong and was cheating and I do not condone it at all," he said. "I would have been gutted to have missed a test, I was naive, I took an extra pill that was all. To miss a test would have been devastating," said Oliver.

The British press treated Oliver lightly yesterday. All mentioned that Oliver had taken an over-the-counter medicine for ear pain but had double the accepted limit of 10 microgrammes.

However, most of the stories were small and lost in back page photos and previews of the World Cup opening at Cardiff Arms Park's Millennium Stadium.

The Daily Telegraph said rugby "truly embraced" the professional era by announcing its first positive drugs test.

The Sun tabloid paper said that Oliver had "revealed his shock" and had been given a "severe" reprimand.

Chris Hewitt in the Independent said the rugby community had shown an "aggressive new approach" to doping control by reprimanding Oliver for taking a double dose of sinus and ear medicine.