Rob Howley has expressed his sympathy for Matt Stevens © Getty Images

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Players/Officials: Rob Howley | Matt Stevens

Tournaments/Tours: Six Nations | Six Nations

Teams: England | Wales

Wales and British and Irish Lions backs coach Rob Howley has warned of the dangers facing professional players following England prop Matt Stevens' admission of a drug problem.

Howley highlighted the "pitfalls that celebrity status brings", and admitted that he was saddened by the news of Stevens' result as an admirer of the players' talent.

"I don't know Matt very well. He is an exceptional rugby player, a great talent," he said. "Matt had a responsibility as a rugby player. Unfortunately, the social side of drugs, his celebrity, got in the way.

"It just shows that you have to be very mindful of the pitfalls that the celebrity status brings when you are an international rugby player or football player or tennis player."

Howley was also quick to point out that while clubs and unions can offer a great deal of support to players, at some stage they are bound to be left to look after their own personal health and wellbeing.

"You can't support players 24/7," Howley said. "Professional players are looked after and the management try to provide everything they can. When they are in camp you are able to put things in place, from rehab to nutrition.

"But there will be a time when those players go back home and they have got a responsibility to themselves, to the squad, to the management and to their families."

Howley, who potentially would have worked with Stevens on this summer's Lions tour to South Africa, also expressed sympathy for Stevens, and described his problem as an "illness" that he would have to overcome with the help of those around him.

"When you read what Matt says I genuinely feel very sorry for him," he said. "It is a social drug, it is a habit, an illness, an addiction. I am certain through the RFU, through Bath and through his family he will have many supporters and hopefully he will get through these dark times and become a better person for it. It is sad."