Four Premiership rugby players tested positive for cocaine last season, which the Rugby Football Union say reflects increasing drug use in society.

There were three more cases in 2017-2018 compared to the previous campaign.

"The positives reflect risks 18-35 year-olds are exposed to when going out socially," RFU's Dr Simon Kemp says.

"We are trying to have a policy which continues to protect the game, but recognises illicit drug use in society is becoming increasingly common."

Dr Kemp added that the players who tested positive for recreational drug use had found themselves peripheral figures at their clubs.

"These positives are not from players who are typically playing and training every week," the medical chief explained.

"These are players who [have become] somewhat dislocated from their clubs, either through injury or non-selection.

"All of these players were reviewed by an independent specialist psychiatrist, and plans to manage any ongoing problems were created."

The RFU run an illicit drugs programme independent of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), and carried out 332 tests during the 2017-2018 season, 94% of which were hair samples and have a 3-5 month detection period.

"We are confident that this level of testing, which is over and above what we are required to do under the WADA code, tries to cover off both protecting the reputation and integrity of the game and addressing some of the health issues we know are associated with illicit drug use," Dr Kemp added.

Under the programme, players are guaranteed anonymity for a first offence, but are fined and required to undergo a rehabilitation programme, which the authorities insist is enough of a deterrent.

"With 300-plus tests, covering three to five months worth of use, if this was a broader problem and it hadn't been a disincentive, we would see more positives," said Premiership Rugby's Phil Winstanley.

'Anti-doping programme comprehensive'

The two anti-doping violations - Ashley Johnson of Wasps and Brandon Staples of Yorkshire Carnegie - were announced at the time of their failed test.

Johnson received a back-dated six month suspension for taking a banned diuretic, while Staples was banned for four years last April after testing positive for steroids.

Last year it emerged a Premiership player could go a whole season without being tested once, and while this remains the case, there has been an 18% increase in the number of samples taken due to an increase in funding.

"The programme was comprehensive and has now been further improved through UKAD's increased testing investment, so it is still one of the most comprehensive programmes we run," said Hamish Coffey of UK Anti-Doping (UKAD).

"But testing is not just about numbers, it is about the quality of those tests."

"It is about striking a balance that not only deters and detects, but is unpredictable," added the RFU's Anti-Doping and Illicit Drugs Programme Manager, Stephen Watkins.

"It is about running something players don't necessarily expect. But we are always looking for ways to improve our programme."

MOORESVILLE, N.C. – Mystik Lubricants, a member of the CITGO Petroleum Corporation family of brands, will join Front Row Motorsports and David Ragan and the No. 38 Ford Mustang team this season.

Mystik Lubricants will serve as the primary sponsor of Ragan at Kansas Speedway in May and Texas Motor Speedway in November. The brand will also be featured as an associate sponsor throughout the season.

CITGO Petroleum Corporation began its partnership with FRM in 2018 with its CITGARD brand at Darlington Raceway, paying tribute to Dale Jarrett during the annual Throwback Weekend. The popular feedback from race fans and success of the program led to an increased commitment with Front Row and Ragan this season.

“Our partnership with Front Row Motorsports and David Ragan has generated a lot of excitement with our customers,” said Brian Paulson, CITGO General Manager Lubricants. “It feels only natural to expand our involvement with the No. 38 program and introduce our Mystik Lubricants brand to NASCAR fans. We look forward to our continued success throughout the season.”

Mystik Lubricants develops products for real-world conditions that are specially formulated to meet the unique demands of specialized machines. Mystik supplies greases and engine oils for automotive, heavy-duty, commercial, industrial, powersports and agricultural customers.

“I’m really excited to partner with Mystik Lubricants this season,” said Ragan. “Reliable, heavy-duty engine lubricants are such a key part of our operation, and I’m proud that we use the best.”

Fritz Sports & Event Enterprises will oversee the partnership.

“We are thrilled to bring a major new brand, Mystik Lubricants, into the NASCAR family with Front Row Motorsports and David Ragan,” said CEO Doug Fritz.

MOORESVILLE, N.C. – Justin Haley will make his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series debut driving for Spire Motorsports in Sunday’s GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.

Haley, a three-time NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series winner, will pilot the No. 77 Fraternal Order of Eagles Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at the 2.66-mile Alabama track.

The Fraternal Order of Eagles is an international non-profit organization uniting fraternally in the spirit of liberty, truth, justice, and equality, to make human life more desirable by lessening its ills and promoting peace, prosperity, gladness and hope.

The Fraternal Order of Eagles donates more than $10 million a year to local communities, fundraisers, charities and more. As part of its philosophy, the F.O.E. gives back 100 percent of monies raised in the form of grants. Fundraisers are conducted for eight major charities, including kidney, heart, diabetes, cancer and spinal cord injury funds, a children’s fund, memorial foundation and the Golden Eagle Fund.

“Our members are incredibly excited to take the next step with Justin in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series,” said Fraternal Order of Eagles Grand Worthy President Carl Burnett. “Justin and the Eagles have been together for many of his career firsts and we can’t wait to experience yet another this weekend in Talladega. This is our third year together and we’re proud to continue to break new ground as a team.”

Haley made his professional stock car debut in 2014 and has gone on to record wins in the ARCA Menards Series, NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and the Truck Series. Last season, Haley parlayed three wins, nine top-five and 18 top-10 finishes into a third-place championship effort behind the wheel of GMS Racing’s No. 24 Chevrolet Silverado.

Meanwhile, all three of his Truck Series wins came with the Fraternal Order of Eagles livery showcased aboard his entry.

The 20-year-old Indiana native currently races full time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for Kaulig Racing where he’s notched six top-10 finishes and sits 11th in points. In his most recent NXS start two weekends ago at Richmond Raceway, Haley started 14th and finished 10th.

“This is a dream come true,” explained Haley. “I couldn’t be prouder than to make my Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series debut with Spire Motorsports and the Fraternal Order of Eagles. The F.O.E. has supported my career since the beginning and it feels like our program will come full circle when I make my debut on NASCAR’s biggest stage this weekend at Talladega. I’m incredibly grateful to both Spire Motorsports and the F.O.E. for this opportunity. I’m excited to get on track and see what we can do.”

“Justin Haley is a proven winner and a future super star,” said Spire Motorsports co-owner T.J. Puchyr. “Justin has won at several levels and knows what it takes to compete with the best in the business. He’s a very talented, smart racer so we’re confident he’ll do a good job this weekend.”

PATASKALA, Ohio – Heinricher Racing with Meyer Shank Racing has announced that Katherine Legge and Christina Nielsen will combine to drive the No. 57 Caterpillar Acura NSX GT3 during the the Acura Sports Car Challenge at Mid-Ohio.

The Jackie Heinricher-led effort will enter into the first sprint format race of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season at the 2.4-mile Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, the home track for Meyer Shank Racing.

The 2018 edition of the Acura Sports Car Challenge saw Legge and teammate Alvaro Parente make a furious pursuit of the win, coming up just .191 seconds short of another winning run on board the Acura NSX GT3.

Legge has four victories with MSR since the team launched the NSX GT3 program in 2017.

Heinricher Racing recently announced the addition of Mobil 1 as a partner for the Caterpillar-backed team. The esteemed brand becomes the official motor oil of the No. 57 car and its all-female driver lineup.

“We’re excited to add ExxonMobil as a sponsor as we continue to build momentum on and off the track,” said team principal Heinricher. “Our effort continues to gain attention and we’re looking forward to getting back to the racetrack and proving our strength behind the wheel.”

The team got off to a fast start at the first two endurance events. Legge and Nielsen kicked off the season at the Rolex 24 at Daytona and continued at the 12 Hours of Sebring.

“I’m looking forward to going back to MSR’s and Acura’s home track and we will try to get another podium for the team in front of the awesome home crowd,” said Legge. “I’m also looking forward to partnering with Christina, she knows the track and has done a good job for us so far this year.”

Nielsen, who has been confirmed to the driver lineup for the two remaining IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup events (Watkins Glen and Petit Le Mans), will add to that schedule of outings with the Acura Sports Car Challenge at Mid-Ohio.

“I’m excited to be back with Heinricher Racing and MSR for Mid-Ohio,” said Nielsen. “The team had a strong run there last year so I am sure we will be in good hands. It’s the first of the sprint rounds so the mindset will be a bit different compared to the endurance events, but I know everything will come together smoothly.”

While many racers enjoyed the Easter holiday, there were still plenty hitting the track over the weekend. Did anyone make a move in the SPEED SPORT Power Rankings? Click below to find out!

BAJA CALIFORNIA, Mexico – NASCAR K&N Pro Series West rookie Jagger Jones will team with one of the legendary figures in drag racing to run the National Off-Road Racing Ass’n Mexican 1000.

Jones will co-drive alongside Don “The Snake” Prudhomme in the historic off-road event, which runs from April 28 through May 2. Both Jones and Prudhomme will be making their second start in the race.

After the pair made their initial forays into the NORRA spectacle a year ago, driving separate entries, Jones’ father – former NASCAR, Indy car and sports car driver P.J. Jones – brokered a deal for them to partner up in this year’s running, which spans more than 1,250 miles across the Mexican peninsula.

“My dad owns a business called P.J.’s Performance, and they build a lot of aftermarket stuff for UTVs and that kind of stuff, and the last three or four years he’s gone and done this race. Last year, we finally got my car ready so that myself and my brother (Jace) could race, and it happened that Don was also racing last year as well,” Jagger Jones told SPEED SPORT. “He really loved it last year and wasn’t sure if he could do it again … because it’s five days (long), it’s Mexico, it’s hot … and it’s not an easy race, but we came up with the idea of Don and I sharing the car this time around.

“He was all for that.”

Jones and Prudhomme haven’t wasted any time getting down to business, keeping an open line of communication as they’ve gotten their Polaris off-road buggy ready to race in the annual desert classic and crossing between one another’s main disciplines in the process.

“We’ve talked every couple of days for the last few months, and I actually went out and hung out with him during the NHRA race earlier this year in Phoenix,” Jones said. “He showed me around, and then he also came to Irwindale for the practice day we had with the K&N West car … so we’ve seen each other a few times over the past couple of months. It’s been fun getting to talk with him and prepare for this.”

Jones was quick to note the differences he’s experienced between the Mexican 1,000 and the K&N West races he’s begun to become accustomed to this season with Bob Bruncati’s Sunrise Ford Racing team.

“The NASCAR races, and even our K&N races, are pretty long … but compared to that, an off-road race is really long,” Jones explained. “It’s a marathon before it’s a race. You have to finish; that’s the first box you have to check off. You have to conserve your car, make sure you don’t wear out the belts, watch out for rocks and other things that can give you flat tires, and all of that goes into conserving, but at the same time trying to keep a strong pace, as well. You can be the fastest car there and fly through the first two days, but overdrive one corner and be upside down before you know any different.

“The biggest priority in a race like this is not overdriving your car and trying to finish the race,” he added. “It’s a compromise, whereas in the K&N car you’re trying to push the limits of the car every lap.”

The good for Jones this year is that, unlike the 2018 edition of the Mexican 1000, he won’t have a race the night before he hits the sand to compete in Mexico.

“Last year was pretty crazy. It was actually my very first off-road race,” Jones noted. “To top it all off, I raced Saturday night in my late model last year, and we drove all night to Mexico and I showed up about an hour before the start of the race. We did really well, my brother and I did, but it was a wild timeline.

“I think the biggest thing I took away from that one – we were leading the Stock UTV class before we broke the gearbox – but this year I need to take a bit different approach and pace myself for the end.”

After a learning experience a year ago, Jones believes he and Prudhomme can contend for a class victory – together instead of as rivals this time around.

“I believe we’ll have a shot,” Jones noted. “Like I said before, it’s mostly about staying out of trouble so that when you get to the end, you can put yourself in contention.”

Despite the fact that Jones is spending Spring Break not on the beach in Florida or California, but in the Mexican sands with a race car, he’s still planning on enjoying every moment of his unique opportunity.

“It’s super cool to be able to race with the Snake. I mean, he’s the one and only, in that regard,” Jones said. “I’m only 16, so to be able to have that kind of a chance at such a young age is special.”

DALLAS -- When first-year Dallas Stars coach Jim Montgomery called out his team over a "culture of mediocrity" in January, the St. Louis Blues weren't too far removed from having the worst record in the NHL.

Now the Central Division rivals will meet in the second round of the playoffs -- and Montgomery is ready to move on from his scathing critique, while declaring that the culture has changed.

"If you're in that locker room, you see the culture now," Montgomery after the Stars beat Nashville 2-1 in overtime in Game 6 on Monday to finish off the first-round series. "You see how much more professional we are. We work efficiently. We work effectively. And we work together.

"We're going to be eight of 31 teams left, right? We're doing something right. But we hope not to be done. But we know we're facing a really good team next, again."

The Blues went from having a league-worst 34 points on Jan. 2 to becoming the first team that was in the NHL cellar at the beginning of the calendar year to advance in the postseason.

Montgomery's blunt assessment came after a 3-1 loss to St. Louis when the Blues were beginning to dig out of their hole. The Dallas turnaround started a week later with the beginning of a five-game winning streak that bridged the All-Star break.

A year after collapsing late in the regular season with an eight-game losing streak that started with six straight losses on the road, the Stars picked up seven of eight possible points on a four-game Canadian swing late in the season to all but wrap up their first playoff berth in three years.

That most recent playoff trip in 2016 ended with a Game 7 loss in the second round to the Blues in Dallas.

"We had a lot of changes this year and a lot of uncomfortable conversations throughout the year," said Tyler Seguin, the high-scoring forward who was injured when the Blues and Stars met three years ago. "Guys came out of their comfort zones and that's made us a closer team, and that's why we're here tonight."

The last rookie coach to win his first playoff series was Dale Hunter with Washington seven years ago. And Montgomery is the second Stars coach to do it, following Dave Tippett in 2003.

An NCAA championship winner at the University of Denver two years ago, Montgomery is also the third coach in three seasons for the Stars. He followed Lindy Ruff and Ken Hitchcock, who returned to Dallas and missed the 2018 playoffs, 19 years after leading the franchise to its only Stanley Cup title.

"I think the journey through the year toughens you up, hopefully," Montgomery said. "And it definitely did for us. You have to face adversity to get better as a group, especially when it's your first time together. And we have. And the trust has grown."

Ben Bishop, a Vezina Trophy finalist who had a playoff career-high 47 saves to finish off the Predators, will be facing his hometown team, and the one that drafted him 14 years ago.

"I've been trying not to think about it, obviously trying to worry about this series," Bishop said. "It kind of gets a smile."

The Blues and Stars were the lower seeds in their first-round matchups. St. Louis beat Winnipeg, also in six games. If Vegas wins Game 7 at San Jose in the remaining first-round Western Conference series Tuesday night, all four lower seeds will have advanced.

"If you look around the league, I think everyone who gets into the playoffs has a really good chance to go win," said John Klingberg, who scored the clincher 17:02 into overtime. "You see a lot of top seed teams that are out right now."

A couple of weeks before Montgomery's frustration boiled over, Seguin and captain Jamie Benn were profanely ripped by CEO Jim Lites. The longtime team executive also used words such as "terrible" and "embarrassing" to describe the play of the high-priced forwards.

The concern for Lites, who said he was echoing the frustration of owner Tom Gaglardi, was that the Stars would end up in danger of missing the playoffs for the ninth time in 11 years. Instead, they wrapped up a series on home ice for the first time since 2008.

"We are very excited about this, and you can tell the crowd is too," Klingberg said. "We've been playing some good hockey here at the end. It's going to be a quick turnaround here. We all know how the Blues are playing, how good they are."

Neither team was saying that when the calendar turned to 2019.

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Buffalo Sabres defenseman Zach Bogosian will miss five-to-six months after his second hip operation in a little more than a year.

The Sabres provided the update Tuesday, two weeks after their season ended. Bogosian missed the final eight games with a lower-body injury. The team says the recent operation repaired Bogosian's other hip.

The timetable for recovery means Bogosian could miss the start of next season.

The surgery is the latest setback for the 28-year-old, hard-hitting defenseman, who has played 70 games just twice in his 11 NHL seasons. Bogosian was limited to 18 games in 2017-18 before season-ending hip surgery in January of that season.

This season, he finished with three goals and 19 points in 65 games. That matched the most he played since 2011-12 while with Winnipeg.

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ORNSKOLDSVIK, Sweden -- Cole Caufield set the United States record for most goals scored in the IIHF Men's Under-18 World Championship Tuesday.

The highly-touted NHL draft prospect scored two goals in USA's 7-1 win over Latvia to run his tournament total to 11, surpassing Phil Kessel and Brett Sterling's previous record of nine goals. Caufield has appeared in just four games in the tournament. Kessel and Sterling scored nine in six and eight games, respectively.

"It's a pretty special feeling," Caufield told ESPN after the game. "Any time you get to break a record like that, it's special."

Caufield is tied with Nikita Kucherov and Ilya Kovalchuk for second for the overall single-tournament scoring record. Assuming Team USA advances to the medal games, he will have three more games to challenge Alex Ovechkin's single-tournament record of 14, which has stood since 2002.

"Right now, I'm pretty hot and I'd like to keep it that way," said Caufield. "The wins are more important. For sure, it would be special to get close to [Ovechkin] though."

The Stevens Point, Wisconsin, native has scored no fewer than two goals in each of his four games in the tournament.

In addition to setting the U.S. tournament goal scoring record, Caufield shattered the U.S. National Team Development program's single-season scoring record previously held by Auston Matthews at 55. The winger has 69 goals so far this season and 123 in his career, which is also the high water mark in the NTDP's history.

The 5-foot-7 sniper says he models his game after Chicago Blackhawks winger Alex DeBrincat. Caufield was recently ranked eighth among North American skaters in NHL Central Scouting's final draft rankings. He was 10th on ESPN's midseason Top 50 for the 2019 NHL draft.

Also starring for Team USA at this tournament has been Jack Hughes, the presumptive No. 1 pick in the 2019 NHL draft. Hughes is second on Team USA to Caufield's 13 points with 12 of his own. Having played in last year's tournament, Hughes has 24 career points in U18 World Championship play. Three more will give him the U.S. career scoring record at this tournament, currently held by Kessel who had 26 points over two tournaments. Alex Ovechkin is the tournament's all-time leading scorer with 31 points in 14 games.

Team USA improved to 4-0 in tournament play, finishing atop Group B in preliminary play. They will meet Finland in the quarterfinal Thursday.