Two Premiership players tested positive for cocaine previous season

Rugby Football Union (RFU) has confirmed that two Aviva Premiership players have been reported positive for cocaine last season.

The board revealed that there were violations in its illicit drugs policy while submitting the annual anti-doping report on Thursday. Nearly 386 tests for illicit drugs was done by RFU in 2015/16 with hair samples which allows them to detect for up to five months after a drug was ingested.

Since this is their first offence, RFU decided against revealing the players but confirmed that the duo have been fined. However, a second positive test will lead them to a ban.

This is not the first time, players were reported positive for a banned substance as in 2014/15 two players were found guilty but the numbers have gone down from 2012/13 and 2013/14 seasons which had five and four players respectively.

The illicit drugs programme was introduced following the Bath cocaine scandal in 2009, when four players were subsequently banned including England prop Matt Stevens.

RFU anti-doping manager Stephen Watkins expressed confidence on the process carried on by the board.

"We feel very confident those issues don't exist in the Premiership any longer. While we can never rule it out, we feel pretty confident we don't have some of the issues which maybe occurred in the past," Watkins said.

Phil Winstanley, rugby director at Premiership Rugby said the Bath scandal allowed them to come up with such a programme.

"We had one big problem at Bath and that was a catalyst for this programme,"

"This is slightly different to the anti-doping programme. Unless it's being used in competition, cocaine isn't a performance-enhancing drug. Clearly we don't want it in our sport, and what's why we are doing the programme."

Both Watkins and Winstanley also confirmed that the board is stringent on issues related to drug and further added that during the last season 1001 tests were conducted which is almost double from the 2013/14 season.

Prior to the World Cup and Olympic games, nearly 360 tests were conducted on England international players which has seen an increase of 135 as compared to the season before.

In the foreword of the report, the Rugby Players' Association director Richard Bryan wrote: " Given the impact of doping on the wider sporting landscape, it is reassuring to see another season concluded with no indication of systemic doping or illicit drug use among the elite player population in England."