Rugby Football Union (RFU) v Leigh Dearden

To optimise for archiving, the original image and related documents associated with this article have been removed.

A decision in the case of the Rugby Football Union (RFU) v Leigh Dearden has been published by the National Anti-Doping Panel (NADP). 

On 23 March 2019 Leigh Dearden, a player registered with Lincoln RFC and the RFU, provided a urine sample.  The urine sample returned Adverse Analytical Findings for Drostanolone and a metabolite, 2 metabolites of Oxymetholone, and cocaine metabolite benzoylecgonine.  Mr Dearden was subsequently charged with a breach of World Rugby Regulation 21.2.1 for the Presence of Prohibited Substances or their Metabolites or Markers on 31 May 2019.

Mr Dearden did not dispute the Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV) and the NADP Tribunal, consisting of Christopher Quinlan QC, Blondel Thompson and Professor Dorian Haskard imposed a period of ineligibility of 4 years, running from 31 May 2019 until midnight on 30 May 2023.

A copy of the full decision can be accessed via the related links tab on the right-hand side.

The National Anti-Doping Panel (NADP) is the United Kingdom’s independent tribunal responsible for adjudicating anti-doping disputes in sport. It is operated by Sport Resolutions and is entirely independent of UK Anti-Doping who is responsible for investigating, charging and prosecuting cases before the NADP.

You may also like

View All

Pinned Article

Sport Resolutions Annual Conference 2026: Early Bird Tickets Now on Sale

Early Bird tickets for the Sport Resolutions 11th Annual Conference are now available. Join leading sport and legal professionals in London on 7 May 2026 for a full day of discussion, insight, and networking

Read More

NFL to return to Madrid in 2026 as part of multi-year deal, and international fixtures may increase to nine different locations this year

The National Football League, a professional American football league, is planning to return to Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu Stadium for a regular season game this year as part of a multi-year deal to continue its international expansion, and international fixtures may increase to nine different locations this year

Read More

Former AIS athletes express concern that new documentary could retraumatise victims of past abuse

Former Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) athletes are worried that the Australian Sports Commission’s decision to release a documentary, ‘Forging Champions,’ on the institute could retraumatise previous AIS attendees who claim to have suffered abuse there, especially if it overlooks the darker nature of the institute’s past

Read More