Former Ireland captain Brian O’Driscoll disagrees that the Springboks’ 2019 World Cup win should come with an asterisk due to steroid use in South African rugby.

Outspoken former Irish lock Neil Francis claimed that questions should be asked about the 2019 Springbok squad after the proliferation of doping in South Africa, including Aphiwe Dyantyi’s positive test for banned substances.

However, in an interview with RugbyPass, O’Driscoll differed from his countryman and said that only hard evidence can prove the Springboks guilty.

‘I don’t think you can point fingers at anyone until individuals have tested positive,’ O’Driscoll said. ‘It doesn’t matter how big players are or how fit they are or what sort of condition they are in, if they did lots of testing the only way of accusing someone is if they fail the test.

‘The two things that I do know about doping in South Africa is Dyantyi, the breakthrough player of the year. He tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs three months ago.

‘The second thing is the Craven week where five or six players tested positive at an underage tournament which seemed very high compared to rugby around the world. Those two things have heightened the conversation around it.’

Photo: Steve Haag via HollywoodBets