The victim was allegedly “hung and beaten”: we know more about the “savage” sexual assault of which two French XV players are accused

The two young players of the French XV, Oscar Jégou and Hugo Auradou, are the subject of a complaint for sexual assault and were arrested by the Argentine police on Monday July 8. According to the Argentinian media MDZ, this would go much further than a simple attack.

French rugby in turmoil: two players Oscar Jégou and Hugo Auradou were arrested by the police following a complaint of sexual assault on Monday in Argentina, where they are on tour with the XV of France. The two young players must be transferred to Mendoza (central west), site of the alleged attack, where the French played their first match on Saturday against the Argentine selection (28-13).

According to the local press, the alleged attack took place in the hours following the match, during the night from Saturday to Sunday, at the Diplomatic Hotel in Mendoza, where players and staff were staying during the test against the Pumas. The prosecutor requested the immediate arrest of the suspects, who are in Buenos Aires for the rest of the summer tour.

"If the results match the victim's testimony, the indictment will be issued"

"Today a commission from the province of Mendoza is going to Buenos Aires to bring them (to Mendoza) and carry out the acts of ;appropriate investigation", Martin Ahumada, spokesperson for the Mendoza prosecutor's office, said on Monday. "If the results match the victim's testimony, the indictment will be issued", he said. he added.

According to the media MDZ, the physical examinations carried out by the forensic body on the victim provided conclusive evidence with "numerous genetic findings". The newspaper also claims "that in addition to having been sexually abused, the victim was hanged and beaten. It was a wild situation, like that of animals, where there was a lot of violence."

Je ne pense qu’à elle. pic.twitter.com/kTMBlmBuNp

— Cécile Grès (@cecilegres) July 9, 2024

The Blues of Fabien Galthié must leave Tuesday for Montevideo, where they will meet Uruguay in a friendly match on Wednesday. The XV of France, on tour in Argentina with a largely rejuvenated group and without its main players left to rest, will return to Buenos Aires to challenge Argentina again on Saturday.

The two players concerned are the second line of Pau Hugo Auradou, 20 years old, and the third line of La Rochelle Oscar Jégou, 21 years old, who played in the Mendoza match, according to corroborating sources. "There is an ongoing investigation. We don't yet have all the details since we have just arrived in Buenos Aires with Jean-Marc Lhermet (vice-president, Editor's note)", indicated the president of the FFR Florian Grill to a few journalists including the AFP.

Jaminet affair

"If the facts are proven, they are incredibly serious. We must spare a thought for the young woman. It’s the opposite of everything that rugby is, of everything that rugby does, of everything that rugby builds […] but we must leave the investigation, which is necessary, take place", he added.

"If the investigation establishes the alleged facts, they constitute an unspeakable atrocity. Thoughts for the victim", wrote Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, the Minister of Sports, on the social network X.

Oscar Jégou was suspended last fall by the French Anti-Doping Agency (AFLD) following a positive test for cocaine. He explained that he had taken this substance in a festive setting. The arrest of Jégou and Auradou comes the day after another affair: the exclusion from the tour and the sending back to France of fullback Melvyn Jaminet, after racist remarks in a video published on Sunday and which he said were "shameful".

"My daronne (my mother, Editor's note) who asks me if I had a party (he breathes). I swear, the first Arab I meet on the road I'll hit him with his helmet", declares, visibly angry, the player (25 years old, 20 caps) who is filming himself- even in this short undated video, posted on Instagram and since deleted. In a press release published quickly after its broadcast, the French Rugby Federation condemned "with the greatest firmness" the comments made by Melvyn Jaminet who are "totally unacceptable and contrary to the fundamental values ​​of our sport".