Rugby Australia may subject players to mandatory hair follicle testing to pick up traces of illicit drug use.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, RA has been discussing the idea with the Rugby Union Players’ Association (Rupa) since late 2017.
The test would create a three-month record of players.
Under RA’s illicit drugs policy, as agreed to in the collective bargaining agreement with Rupa, if players test positive they are given a first warning, meaning the club and others are not notified. A second strike results in an automatic suspension.
While this comes in the wake of the Kurtley Beale scandal – where the Wallabies veteran was pictured in two separate videos near people who appeared to be preparing and taking white powder – it reportedly had no bearing on the potential trial.
