Stars of the future show support for U20 Championship Keep Rugby Clean Day
Players at the World Rugby U20 Championship 2024 in South Africa will come together on Tuesday to show their support for fair sport on Keep Rugby Clean Day.
All of the players preparing for the final round of pool matches in Cape Town and Stellenbosch will wear distinctive t-shirts during their warm-ups in a collective stance against doping.
Keep Rugby Clean is World Rugby’s anti-doping education and awareness programme. It aims to deter doping by educating participants on their responsibilities, raising awareness of doping risks and fostering an ethical clean-sport ethos across our game.
South Africa captain Zachary Porthen, who leads his country into a must-win Pool C encounter with England on day three, believes Keep Rugby Clean is integral to ensuring a level playing field for all.
“It is very important as it helps us to understand the impact of wrong decisions, and it grows awareness of discipline, respect and good values,” Porthen said.
“I support KRC because it is vital to understand the importance of values and integrity of keeping the playing field even for everyone by keeping the game clean.”
Ahead of the U20 Championship, each of the 12 squads participated in an extensive programme comprising online and face-to-face education, delivered in their native language.
France captain Hugo Reus said: “I’m very happy to support KRC day, which is keeping rugby’s great values in the public eye.
“We need to show everyone that we take this action seriously and to wear the shirt is the first step.”
For England captain Finn Carnduff, the existence of programmes like Keep Rugby Clean gives him confidence that the game he adores is fair.
“I have lots of role models in the sport, and to know that they have strong integrity thanks to initiatives like Keep Rugby Clean is really important. I’m grateful to KRC for keeping the sport I love fair,” Carnduff said.
“I’m really pleased to show support for such an important scheme. KRC does such great work for the rugby community off the field, and I hope we can continue to keep rugby clean.”
World Rugby work closely with the World Anti-Doping Authority (WADA) and national anti-doping organisations to deter intentional doping behaviours and avoid accidental doping.
“It is a very successful campaign,” Spain captain Yago Fernández said.
“We all have to compete under the same rules and the same conditions. It's important that we stay healthy.”
Italy captain Jacopo Botturi added: “Everyone likes winning but winning dirty is for cowards.
“Rugby teaches us from childhood that results come through effort and dedication, ours is not a sport made up of shortcuts, but of a single road, straight and uphill.”
For more information on the Keep Rugby Clean campaign please go to www.world.rugby/keep-rugby-clean
