Ex-Castleford Tigers and England man served drugs ban says UKAD

Chase, who was Man of Steel in 2011, submitted a positive sample at a League One match between Rochdale Hornets and North Wales Crusaders in September and received notice of his suspension in December.

UKAD said Chase, 36, who left Rochdale for unconnected reasons at the end of last season and is currently without a club, has served his ban and is now free to resume playing.

It is the third time Chase has been banned for cocaine use during his career, having served a two-year ban when he played for Widnes Vikings in 2017 and a one-month suspension after a positive test in January 2022.

UKAD said it accepted Chase did not use the drug with the intention of improving performance and acknowledged he had previously completed a substance abuse treatment programme.

In a statement, the RFL said: “We support UKAD in their determination to ensure sport is clean and therefore in their testing programme for recreational as well as performance-enhancing drugs.

“We continue to prioritise education of players at all levels, working with our charity partners RL Cares, regarding the harmful side-effects of recreational drugs, as well as the potential impact of a positive test.”

Chase played for Tigers from 2009-2013 and 2016-2017. His other past clubs include Salford, Leigh, Doncaster and West Wales.