All Blacks lock Patrick Tuipulotu has been cleared to return to rugby after being fully exonerated over his failing drugs test.

New Zealand Rugby and the NZ Rugby Players Association has received notification that his B-sample contained no presence of a substance listed on the WADA list.

The result has been cleared as negative and as such, Tuipulotu has been cleared to play with immediate effect.

World Rugby has been informed and will not be taking the matter any further.

Tuipulotu is relieved that the process has revealed the truth and says it has been a challenging and difficult time for him, his family and his teammates.

He says he's looking forward to getting back into training and rugby.