All Black Shelford suspected France drug use

25 February 2015 01:16

An All Black legend whose scrotum was ripped open in an infamous 1986 Test match against France said Wednesday he was not surprised at new allegations Les Bleus were on amphetamines at the time.

Wayne "Buck" Shelford was the most prominent casualty in the so-called "Battle of Nantes", when a fired-up French team brutally attacked New Zealand to seize a 16-3 victory.

Shelford was caught at the bottom of a ruck 20 minutes into the game, losing four teeth and then sustaining a large tear to his scrotum courtesy of a stray French boot.

Incredibly, Shelford had his injury stitched on the sideline and played on until deep into the second half, when a knock to the head left him concussed and unable to continue.

Shelford, who went on to play 22 Tests and captain the All Blacks, said he always suspected some of the French were on drugs, an allegation made in a book by investigative journalist Pierre Ballester.

"When I came out of the tunnel and I saw them, I looked into the eyes of many of the players as I walked past them, and their eyes did not say that they were going into a game against the All Blacks," he told Radio New Zealand.

"Their eyes just looked like they were on something, and I could not prove it."

The French team doctor at the time, Jacques Mombet, told Ballester that the Nantes Test was the most obvious example of French players using amphetamines.

He said New Zealand realised their opponents were "loaded" and made a complaint to the International Rugby Board, which eventually led to a clampdown.

Source: AFP