“Players have decided not to respect the framework,” regrets Florian Grill, the president of the FFR.

During a press conference on Tuesday, the head of the FFR returned to the situation of Hugo Auradou and Oscar Jegou, charged with “aggravated rape” in Argentina.

“A duty of truth and transparency” And “firm and clear management”. Guided by these two principles, the president of the French Rugby Federation (FFR), Florian Grill, and his vice-president, Jean-Marc Lhermet, held a press conference on Tuesday, July 16, in Marcoussis (Essonne) to present an assessment of the extra-sporting affairs that disrupted the South American tour. On the sidelines of the three matches, against Argentina and Uruguay, Melvyn Jaminet was excluded for a video in which he made racist remarks, then Hugo Auradou and Oscar Jegou were charged with “aggravated rape”. The president of the FFR announced in particular that a “report to the public prosecutor” was carried out following racist remarks made in a video by France XV full-back Melvyn Jaminet.

The two leaders also discussed the Auradou-Jegou affair at length. Florian Grill began by recalling that a “extremely precise framework” has existed for years, “based on player autonomy and accountability”. For these moments of the third half, these rules authorize the Blues to come out “in Group” in the presence of players “a little more senior”.

They are responsible for getting everyone home at the same time by taxi. “This is what was done by Baptiste Serin [le capitaine lors de la tournée]. But there are a number of players who have decided not to respect the framework. It is not the staff who are responsible, it is the players who have decided to go outside the framework,” insisted Florian Grill.

Indicted on July 12, Hugo Auradou and Oscar Jegou are currently in “an intermediate prison” in Mendoza, the western Argentine city where the party took place, after being transferred from Buenos Aires. “We know that they arrived extremely exhausted from their journey. Now, they have been able to shower, sleep, things are a little better according to the feedback we have from the families,” detailed the president of the FFR, according to comments reported by the regional daily The Midi Dispatch.

On the legal front, Florian Grill said that the players’ lawyers are trying to get the Argentine courts to place them under house arrest. The examination of this request could take “at least ten days”, according to the Mendoza prosecutor’s office. The FFR also worked to find and finance a house “so that they are in a dignified and secure environment”, justified the president of the institution. The latter specified, according to The Midi Dispatchthat the usual time limit for this type of trial is estimated at between “nine and fourteen month”.

“We are neither judges nor investigators, we have no opinion to give. There are two versions. The players’ version has not yet been argued, continued Florian Grill. We trust the Argentine justice system, it is up to them to determine whether there is guilt or not.” Both players talk about their side of sexual relations “consented”without violence.

To prevent a repeat of these scenarios in the future, Florian Grill announced an increase in sanctions. “Disciplinary sanctions may include financial penalties. They could also include temporary or permanent exclusion from French teams, as we did in the Jaminet case.” With these serious matters to manage, the FFR considered stopping the South American tour for a while. But it was not decided for a “a question of respect towards the Argentine and Uruguayan federations”, argued the president of the French federation, according to comments reported by The Midi Dispatch.