The Sharks have confirmed that 18-year-old Junior Springbok loosehead prop Kai Pratt has returned an adverse analytical finding for a prohibited substance, with reports indicating the substance was an anabolic steroid.
A urine sample was taken on 7 July 2026, with results released on 22 June 2026. Pratt has requested that his B sample be tested, and SAIDS CEO Khalid Galant confirmed the disciplinary process remains at an early stage. No hearing has been scheduled and no decision rendered. Galant was explicit that a ban only takes effect once a player has been charged and pleaded guilty.
"The athlete hasn't decided whether they'll contest the allegation or the charge," Galant told News24.
The Sharks acknowledged the matter in a statement, reaffirming their commitment to anti-doping compliance while citing the confidential nature of the ongoing process as grounds for declining further comment.
Pratt's situation is complicated further by a serious foot injury sustained during the Junior Springboks' match against Argentina U20 on 27 April, which has already sidelined him from the wider Springbok alignment camp he attended earlier this year. One of only three SWD players selected for the SA Schools squad in 2025, he started at loosehead prop against SA Schools 'A' in Middelburg and featured in the U18 International Series against France, Ireland and England that August.
The case adds to a growing list of doping concerns involving South African players. Springbok prop Asenathi Ntlabakanye is currently serving an 18-month ban — which began 13 May 2026 and will rule him out of the 2027 World Cup — after testing positive for Anastrozole out of competition on 22 May 2025 and self-declaring use of the anabolic steroid DHEA. Elton Jantjies and S'busiso Nkosi have both previously served suspensions for illicit substance use.
SA Rugby faces broader scrutiny on the issue after WADA records revealed a significant drop in the number of tests conducted on players.