Springboks Bjorn Basson and Chiliboy Ralepelle will face a judicial committee hearing on January 25 after testing positive for a banned stimulant on last year's tour of Britain and Ireland.

The South African Rugby Union said on Wednesday it has appointed a three-man committee to investigate the two players, who returned positive tests for methylhexaneamine following the Springboks' victory over Ireland in Dublin on November 6.

Last month, both players' "B" samples confirmed the positive results and they have been provisionally suspended from rugby until the case is resolved, according to International Rugby Board regulations.

Basson and Ralepelle were both sent home from the tour. The team blamed a sports drink for the positive tests.

The committee will hear the cases in Cape Town with both players having chosen not to contest the testing procedures on the tour, meaning the investigation and hearing could be conducted in South Africa.

The 23-year-old Basson set a single-season record in South Africa's domestic Currie Cup last year by scoring 21 tries for the unfashionable Griquas team, beating former Springbok great Carel du Plessis' 21-year-old record.

The promising winger, who has four caps for South Africa, signed for the Super Rugby champion Bulls in the off-season.

Ralepelle, 24, a hooker who also plays for the Bulls, was the first black player to captain the Springboks when he led South Africa against a World XV in Leicester in 2006.

He has played 18 Tests for South Africa.

From this year, the World Anti-Doping Agency has loosened the classification of methylhexaneamine to the "specified stimulant" list, which covers drugs that are more susceptible to inadvertent use and can carry reduced penalties.

The drug is used as a decongestant and can be found in supplements.

Sanctions for using the drug can be reduced if athletes prove they did not intend to enhance performance. Penalties can range from a warning to a two-year ban.

Australia's anti-doping authority issued a warning to its athletes in October following a number of positive test results for the stimulant - including rugby league player Chris Salem, who was banned for two years.

At last year's Commonwealth Games, Nigerian sprinters Osayomi Oludamola and Samuel Okon tested positive for methylhexaneamine. Oludamola was stripped of her gold in the women's 100 metres and Okon, who was sixth in the final of the men's 110-metre hurdles, was also disqualified.

Two Uzbekistan athletes - one a wrestler, the other a judo competitor - tested positive to methylhexaneamine at the 2010 Asian Games. The judoka lost his silver medal.

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