Former Springbok winger, Aphiwe Dyantyi, is set to make his return to professional rugby following the end of his four-year doping suspension.
Dyantyi was banned from rugby in December 2019 after he tested positive for performance-enhancing substances in August of that year.
The 28-year-old also failed a doping test during a Springbok camp on the eve of their successful Rugby World Cup campaign in Japan.
Following the end of his suspension, Dyantyi has officially signed with the Sharks and the Sharks CEO Eduard Coetzee said they wanted to give Dyantyi a “second chance”.
“He was the best wing in the world before he got banned, so from a quality point of view, he’s a no-brainer,” Coetzee said.
“We’re very happy to facilitate his comeback into professional rugby and I’m 100% sure he will reach the same heights, if not higher than he was before he got banned.
“We believe in second chances. We’re going to give him the best second chance. His talent speaks for itself and, for me, it’s not a question of if, but when he reaches the top again.”
Before his ban, Dyantyi was the World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year after scoring six tries in 13 Tests during his one and only Springbok season in 2018.
As things stand, Dyantyi is still under suspension until it officially lapses on 13 August 2023, four years to the day that his B sample confirmed the presence of the banned substances.
However, the world anti-doping code allows athletes to return to training during their ban up to six months prior.
The Sharks now await confirmation from the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport (Saids) on when exactly his ban will end.
