Munster prop James Cronin has been banned for a month after committing an unintentional doping violation due to a mix-up at a pharmacy, European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) said in a statement on Monday.
Cronin, 29, tested positive for the steroid prednisolone and corticosteroid prednisone, which are on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) prohibited list, after a Champions Cup second-round match against Racing 92 in November last year.
“Prior to the match… Cronin had been unwell and had been prescribed antibiotics, however, the pharmacy dispensed medication to him which was intended for another customer,” the statement said.
“The judicial officer accepted evidence that the banned substances in the player’s sample were due to a dispensing error by the pharmacy and that the anti-doping violation was entirely unintentional.”
The Ireland international was deemed to have committed no significant fault and co-operated with the investigation, but the judicial officer ruled that he still bore some responsibility for what was in his sample.
Cronin will be ineligible to play between April 15 and May 16. World Rugby, Sport Ireland and WADA have the right to appeal the decision.