Rugby’s cocaine ‘plague’ in France sees Racing 92 among clubs to introduce testing

Two leading French rugby clubs will subject their players to random drug tests amid a “plague” of cocaine use in the sport.

Bordeaux and Racing 92, the club on the outskirts of Paris which recently signed former England captain Owen Farrell, may not be the last Top 14 club to introduce the measure this season after the chairwoman of the French anti-doping agency warned of the rising scourge in an interview this week.

Beatrice Bourgeois outlined alarming data on the issue: “Rugby has a real cocaine problem. Whether at sevens, league or union.

“We are seeing it more and more. In 2023, we had seven positive tests for cocaine – five were in rugby. In 2024, up to now there have been four cases and they are all in rugby.”

Laurent Marti, the Bordeaux president, announced his players would face random drug tests. He said: “We told the players: ‘Be careful, there is a plague, we don’t want it in our sport, therefore we are making sure that you are more under surveillance’.”

Maxime Lucu, the Bordeaux and France halfback, said: “Drugs at parties is a plague. We are in a sport that is confronted by that during the third halves.”

France’s recent tour to Argentina was marred by off-field scandal and controversy. Melvyn Jaminet, the Toulon full-back, was suspended for 34 weeks for posting an Instagram story in which he said: “The first Arab whose path I cross, I will headbutt him.”

Bordeaux and France halfback Maxime Lucu says "drugs at parties is a plague". Photo / Getty Images

Hugo Auradou and Oscar Jegou, the 21-year-old forwards, were arrested on suspicion of rape – an accusation they deny. The duo have since been allowed to return to France.

There has been no suggestion that Jaminet, Auradou or Jegou took cocaine in Argentina but the latter, the La Rochelle back-rower, was suspended last year for a month for cocaine use.

In the aftermath of those incidents, Florian Grill, president of the Federation Francaise de Rugby, said: “We did not wait until this dramatic business to grasp the issue of addictions in general and of cocaine in particular.” Grill added cocaine usage was “endemic” in amateur French rugby.