Shocked Bath feel let down by Stevens

(GETTY IMAGES)

Bath said today that they felt let down by their England prop Matt Stevens following his failed dope test and admission of using recreational drugs.

Stevens, 26, has been provisionally suspended from all competition after failing a dope test after a Heineken Cup match in December. He publicly admitted the scale of his problem in an emotional television interview on Sky Sports News on Tuesday.

"I was absolutely shocked. It is devastating news, something we could have done without. We all feel let down," Bath chief executive Bob Calleja told a news conference, adding it had detracted from Sunday's vital Heineken Cup visit of Toulouse.

"This week should have been all about the anticipation of a classic winner-takes-all match at the Rec. Instead, the headlines have been dominated by Matt Stevens.

"This is a very serious matter, and the club does not, and will not condone the use of illegal recreational or performance-enhancing drugs by any of its employees." He said Bath were told on Monday that Stevens had failed the drugs test, taken after the Heineken Cup Pool 5 leaders match in Glasgow on 14 December.

The prop, who has won 32 international caps, was immediately suspended in accordance with International Rugby Board regulations and also removed from England's Elite Player Squad.

"I was tested for a prohibited substance but it's not performance enhancing, so you can take what you want from that," Stevens told Sky Sports News, admitting he was attending counselling session.

"When you think about how much time people have put into my career and I have thrown it away.