The England Rugby Football Union (RFU) has become the first union in the world to appoint a full-time anti-doping officer.

In a statement on Thursday, RFU competitions manager Chris Burns said Australian Gavin Dovey would be responsible for the testing and education programme in England.

"The fact that we are the first union to create the position of a full-time anti-doping officer shows our ongoing commitment to keeping rugby drug-free," Burns said.