Rugby: banned for doping, Hendré Stassen set to play again after 4 years
Hendré Stassen is set to return to rugby after serving a four-year doping ban.
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For those who had forgotten him, Hendré Stassen is back. Four years after his last professional match, the South African is set to return to the pitch. He was not sidelined by injury but by doping. In July 2019, while he was at Stade Français, the back-row forward was provisionally suspended by the AFLD (the French anti-doping agency). This followed a test two months earlier during an away trip to Montpellier. After an investigation, the provisional suspension was converted into a four-year ban. It was a setback for a player who had been the breakout star of the 2018-2019 season in Paris colours (18 matches, 3 tries). He was only 21 at the time.
In 2023, Hendré Stassen is now set to return to the field. It will be with Tuks Rugby Club, a university side in Pretoria. He was in the squad on Saturday against Centurion. The former South Africa U20 international can therefore hope to resume his career.
A World Cup dream
Hendré Stassen was already aiming high for his comeback a few months ago. Asked about his goal once he had served his ban, he was forthright.
"I went back home to Boksburg, a small town near Pretoria. I went back to my studies and then joined my father's company. I train every day. I'm also the same weight as on the day I left Stade Français. My goal is to turn professional again from July 2023 and, straight after that, to get into the Springboks squad for the World Cup in France. It's that dream that keeps me going," Hendré Stassen told Midi Olympique. Even if dreaming is allowed, it is hard to see Jacques Nienaber calling him up to the Springboks. The World Cup begins on 8 September. And Stassen appears to be starting from a long way back.