Former Scotland star Craig Chalmers clarifies his claim he saw a team-mate cheat a drugs test
Sunday 10 April 2016 22:42, UK
Former Scotland international Craig Chalmers has sought to clarify his comments that he once saw a team-mate cheating a drugs test by asking a colleague to provide a urine sample.
In an article in The Sunday Times, Chalmers - who won 60 caps for his country between 1989 and 1999 - revealed the incident, which he said occurred early in his career.
Elaborating on his comments, Chalmers said the player in question was not a member of Scotland's victorious 1990 Grand Slam winning team and confirmed he has no intention of naming him.
"I've actually said this before to people and it's never been mentioned or been a story," said Chalmers, speaking exclusively to Sports News HQ.
"I would never say who it was, but it's nobody who played in the 1990 Grand Slam. I've not got an issue with anyone else in rugby.
"My comments were more about how in those days, how easy it was not to take your own sample. I was making a comparison between my experiences of those days and how it's done today."
Asked if he thought the player in question had taken drugs, or if he has played with or against players who were on drugs, Chalmers said: "I've never really thought about it. I'm sure the guy might have taken something but I don't really know.
"I've no idea [if I played with or against players on drugs] - possibly but I couldn't say. I've had no experience of someone taking drugs, and I don't condone anyone who takes drugs."
Chalmers' son Sam was the first rugby player in Scotland to test positive for a banned substance in 2013; he returned to competitive rugby last year after serving a two year suspension.
"I have an interest in this (drug-testing) now with what happened to my son", said Chalmers. "I've learnt more about it in the last few years, with Sam being tested and what happened to him.
"After Sam's ban was finished, we've had no contact from the SRU since, which shows how much they think about it. With what happened, I just want to move on from it."
