Jegou-Auradou affair: “It’s difficult to find the words, it’s a collective trauma”, Antoine Frisch, center of the XV of France, looks back on the tour

Le centre a fait ses premiers pas en bleu. – Capture d'écran

The indictment for aggravated rape of two players of the French XV, Oscar Jegou and Hugo Auradou, was "a collective trauma", center Antoine Frisch told AFP on Sunday, at the end of the sad tour of the Blues in Argentina.

How have you lived these last few days ?

"It's been difficult. Very difficult. I've never experienced that since the start of my career… It was very difficult emotionally, psychologically and mentally. Preparing for a match with that was definitely complicated.

How did you hear the news?

We had a meeting on Monday evening and Fabien Galthié, the staff, explained the situation to us, all together, at the hotel. For me, personally, it was a shock. I was honestly shocked. There are a lot of emotions: we are worried, we are stressed…hellip; It’s difficult to find the words, it’s a collective trauma. We tried to stay united, to talk to each other, to manage as best we could.

You received psychological help?

Yes, we had our mental trainers who were available if we needed to chat. Afterwards, everyone experiences it differently. There are some who prefer not to talk about it, there are some who need to express themselves…hellip; there is no right way to live it.

Also read:Jegou-Auradou affair: "A high level of alcohol", behind the scenes of the evening of the XV of France

How much has business affected you?

There, straight away, it’s hard to tell you. It’s sure that it really impacted our preparation, that’s for sure. It was difficult: we were all together and then, quickly, the group separated because part of it had to go to Uruguay to play a match. For those who left, it must have been extremely difficult. But the guys were super professional in Uruguay.

You were one of those who stayed…

It wasn’t easy. We went to train directly against a local club, we had a good time with the players, we had an asado… We talked among ourselves, we stayed among ourselves, we remained united. There was the French football team match, we watched it together. We tried to stay together, to talk, to give each other strength. And as the week progressed, there was an international match to play. We had to switch to that.

Also read: Jegou-Auradou affair. Fabien Galthié: "The impact on the group is real, it's a cataclysm, a trauma"

It’it’s complicated to have a rugby head in times like this ?

Honestly, yes. It was difficult. I've never experienced that, it takes over when it happens. To prepare for a match, it’s not easy.

On a sporting level, how did you experience your first tour with the French team, marked by your first selection and your first try?

Very good. In the first match, everything went well for everyone. For all the beginners, it was great to start with a victory. It was huge to see some guys again that I hadn't seen for a while, and also to get to know all the other players that I didn't know…"