During a press conference in Montevideo, alongside the president of the Uruguayan federation, the coach and the captain of the Teros, Fabien Galthié spoke briefly about the affair involving two of his players, Oscar Jegou and Hugo Auradou, who were arrested following a complaint of sexual assault during the XV of France's tour in Argentina. "For the group, for the delegation, it was experienced as a trauma, a form of astonishment when we heard the news and when the police arrived at the hotel in Buenos Aires. It was a very difficult day, very, very hard. It’s a very difficult time to live through," declared the coach, visibly touched, on the eve of the match against Uruguay.
The president of the French Rugby Federation, Florian Grill, emphasized the importance of hearing the alleged victim's words in a press release. "If the facts are proven, they are incredibly serious and the opposite of everything rugby does and builds. It is also the opposite of what the 2,000 amateur clubs that keep rugby alive on a daily basis do," he stated. The press release recalled that a young woman filed a complaint with the Argentine police regarding an alleged attack by the two players during the night from Saturday to Sunday at the Diplomatic Hotel in Mendoza.
Florian Grill and Jean-Marc Lhermet, alongside the French Ambassador and Consul in Argentina, met with the players in Buenos Aires. The players confirmed having had sexual relations with the young woman but firmly denied any form of violence. The investigation is ongoing, and the Federation is awaiting further hearings from the alleged victim and the players. Consequently, Grill and Lhermet decided to stay in Argentina to fully follow the matter in collaboration with the authorities.
The live broadcast provided further context, detailing that the alleged assault occurred just after the players' first selection with the XV of France against the Pumas. The players were arrested in Buenos Aires and will be transferred to Mendoza for police custody. It was also noted that Oscar Jegou had tested positive for cocaine earlier in the season after the second match of his career in the Top 14.
