Springboks World Cup wins in 2019 and 2023 questioned once again

According to figures published by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the number of rugby drug tests conducted by the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport (Saids) fell from 785 in 2015 to just 127 in 2024 — a drop of more than sixfold.

The sharp reduction in testing has come during an era in which South Africa secured back-to-back Rugby World Cup titles in 2019 and 2023, cementing their status as the dominant force in Test rugby.

You can read the full investigation from The Telegraph here.

However, South Africa also has the highest number of convicted dopers in the global game over that period. With 89 violations recorded, the country accounts for roughly 20 per cent of all worldwide rugby doping offences.

Despite the country’s history of violations, testing levels fell further after the Springboks retained the World Cup in 2023, raising fresh questions about oversight during one of the most successful periods in South African rugby history.

Khalid Galant, CEO of SAIDS, discussed South Africa’s anti-doping approach, testing capacity, and the risks faced by professional athletes, particularly in rugby:

“Some years ago, we had big numbers of positives not just in rugby but in sports such as cycling, swimming, and athletics, but for a while there has been an overall decline in positive tests because of education and consequences.”

“We used to be aggressive in our testing because we had our own World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) laboratory in Bloemfontein, but it lost its WADA accreditation.”

“So we have had to take our testing overseas. The cheapest lab is in Qatar, and we also use one in Belgium. The use of overseas labs increases operational costs, so we have to decrease the number of tests we do, but we don’t lose our effectiveness because sportsmen and women still have no idea when we are going to test them.”

“If you are a professional rugby player, a Springbok, you are rolling the dice if you want to go the route of performance-enhancing drugs. You are taking a massive risk; whether we do 100 tests or 1000, there is no notice that we are coming to test you.”

RUCK editor Steve Smith said:

The Springboks have built an era of incredible success. For the integrity of the sport, South African rugby now needs transparency and robust testing levels to match its on-field dominance. That’s how you silence doubt — not just with trophies, but with accountability.”

“Let’s be absolutely clear — South Africa’s World Cup wins stand. There is no evidence those triumphs were fuelled by systematic doping.

But perception matters in elite sport. When testing numbers collapse while success soars — and when your nation leads the world in recorded violations — it inevitably raises eyebrows.

South African internationals have also received doping bans in recent years — including members of the country’s World Cup-winning generation.

Former Springbok wing Aphiwe Dyantyi was one of the most high-profile doping cases in South African rugby in recent years.

Dyantyi burst onto the international scene in 2018 and was named World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year after a sensational debut season for the Springboks.

However, his career came to a sudden halt after he tested positive for several banned substances in 2019, including metandienone, methyltestosterone and LGD-4033.

The case resulted in a four-year suspension, ruling him out of the 2019 Rugby World Cup and sidelining him from professional rugby during what should have been the prime years of his career.

World Cup-winning fly-half Elton Jantjies was handed a four-year ban in 2024 after testing positive for the banned substance clenbuterol.

Jantjies was part of South Africa’s 2019 Rugby World Cup-winning squad, providing fly-half cover during the tournament in Japan.

The positive test came several years after the World Cup triumph and marked a dramatic fall from grace for the experienced playmaker, who had earned more than 40 caps for the Springboks.

Another member of the 2019 World Cup-winning squad, winger S’busiso Nkosi also received a doping suspension in 2024.

Nkosi tested positive for the anabolic steroid boldenone, resulting in a three-year ban from the sport.

The powerful wing had been one of South Africa’s most dangerous attacking threats during the late 2010s and was widely regarded as a key part of the Springboks’ World Cup-winning depth.

There is also a current doping case involving Springbok prop Asenathi Ntlabakanye, who has been formally charged with anti-doping violations following an adverse test result.

The forward denies wrongdoing and is awaiting a disciplinary hearing that will determine whether a suspension will be imposed.