CINDERFORD rugby player Chance Ridler must attend anti-doping courses after admitting posting comments on Twitter about using and distributing performance enhancing drugs.

A senior Rugby Football Union disciplinary panel suspended Ridler from playing for nine months, with the ban suspended for two years from October 2 2012 – providing the player completes steps one and two of the UKAD accredited anti-doping advisor course and the IRB anti-doping education programme.

He must attend the courses within three months and will also be included in the RFU national registered testing pool for the remainder of the 2012-2013 season.

The disciplinary panel comprised chairman Christopher Quinlan QC, Mike Curling and Nick Dark.

Chairman Christopher Quinlan said: "The offending is serious. Twitter did not exist before 2006 and its popularity continues to grow.

"Those who use social networking and micro-blogging services must appreciate they are public forums.

"Once posted on a public time line any person who is able to access the Twitter network can read it. It is a public statement.

"Those in the game who wish to use such a service must do so responsibly. Those who do not, risk condign punishment."

Quinlan added: "The sanction we impose is one which we hope makes clear that offending of this kind will not be tolerated.

"It is intended to be a deterrent both to this player and to others who might be tempted to use Twitter or a similar service to make inappropriate, offensive, insulting and/or abusive comments about those within or without the rugby world or, as in this case, about drugs."

Ridler appeared at a RFU hearing at the Bristol Filton Holiday Inn on October 2.

He admitted breaching rule 5.12 of the Rules of the RFU, namely that between April 16 2012 and July 2 he made statements on his Twitter account that he was using performance enhancing drugs, that he was distributing performance enhancing drugs and/or encouraging others to use performance enhancing drugs. The RFU Panel determined that Ridler's conduct was a serious breach of rule 5.12 (conduct prejudicial to the interests of the Union or the game) because of the content of the tweets and the fact that Ridler was coaching children and young persons.

The RFU statement read: "To make public statements, accessible by anyone including those children and young persons, encouraging the use of steroids and 'tabs' is completely inappropriate and is manifestly prejudicial to the interests of the game."