Sidelined after their indictment for aggravated rape in Argentina, Hugo Auradou and Oscar Jegou will return to Les Bleus to prepare for the Six Nations Tournament, a rapid return that arouses incomprehension, the two players not yet being completely out of the woods.
Auradou and Jegou are part of the extended list of 42 players selected by France XV coach Fabien Galthié, who considers them “selectable” after the Argentinian courts dropped the first instance charges in December.
But the second row and the flanker, aged 21, are not yet finished with the courts, as the plaintiff, whom he met in a nightclub during the tour in Argentina, has decided to appeal.
Read also:“The facts of which they were accused did not exist” : the dismissal of the case in the Jegou-Auradou case, five months after the night in Mendoza
The arrest and detention of the two players in July in Mendoza caused fear and questioning in the world of rugby, but the federation, clubs, supporters and teammates have always supported the two players.
While respecting “listening” to the complainant, the Federation had not sanctioned them for the alcoholic evening, considering that there was not the necessary framework to do so. This framework was established in November and provides in particular for the prohibition of alcohol in the “performance venues”.
The presence of the two players in this list while the courts must begin examining the plaintiff's appeal in the middle of the Tournament, on February 10 and 11, is causing opposition, as it did when they returned to their clubs, Pau for Auradou and La Rochelle for Jegou.
“A question of morality”
“The La Rochelle club is an institution here, their word has an exemplary role”, explains to AFP one of the spokespeople for Osez le féminisme 17 (Charentes-Maritimes), Sophie Burlier.
“The time for justice is essential, but on the one hand there is an appeal in progress and on the other hand, this does not exempt us from being attentive to what the plaintiffs say”, she continues.
200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000For Maëlle Noir, an activist from the #NousToutes collective, “it is not a question of justice but of morality”, emphasizing that “justice does not sufficiently condemn aggressors” in sexist and sexual cases.
Read also: “They will potentially be selectable to play again” : French Rugby Federation reacts to dismissal of charges in Jegou-Auradou case
Conversely, many figures in the world of rugby are supporting the legal dimension alone, such as Fabien Galthié. “Today, there is a dismissal that was obvious and that is clear. So from the moment there is a dismissal, we consider that they are innocent”, he declared on RMC on Monday.
In mid-July, in an interview with Midi Olympique, the coach had assured that Jegou and Auradou were “still among our gems.”
The two rugby players had been arrested and placed in pre-trial detention in early July in Mendoza, accused by a woman of having raped her in a hotel room during a drunken evening, which they have always denied, claiming that the relationship was consensual.
“Educating our players”
Upon their return to France in September, Auradou and Jegou were reinstated in their club and gradually relaunched on the terrains.
Auradou was the first to play in an official match again, in October in Perpignan, to a certain indifference from the Catalan public.
Jegou took over in November at Marcel-Deflandre, cheered by most of the La Rochelle crowd, who came in large numbers to take photos with the player after the match.
“He's the future of our club and we have to keep players like that”, La Rochelle international pillar Uini Atonio (63 caps) stressed to AFP at the beginning of January.
Read also: For coach Fabien Galthié, Auradou and Jegou are "innocent" and therefore "selectable" with the French XV
“I will always keep an eye on him and be hyper vigilant because he is very young and he needs to be protected and learn like the others. […] It is too important for me as an adult, as a coach and as a parent to educate our players”, his coach in La Rochelle, the Irishman Ronan O'Gara, said a few days after the dismissal.
Brilliant with the Bleuets, Jegou tested positive for cocaine in August 2023, a few weeks after his U20 world champion title. Suspended for a month, he had already been supported by his club once his sanction was served.
“We are very happy with him, we hope that all his problems are in the past”, declared to the AFP at the beginning of January the assistant of La Rochelle in charge of the forwards Donnacha Ryan.