France forward returns to training despite rape allegation
NEWS: France loose forward Oscar Jegou has returned to training with La Rochelle despite being accused of aggravated rape in Argentina, the club’s assistant coach Sebastien Boboul said on Thursday.
Jegou and Les Bleus teammate Hugo Auradou returned to France from South America earlier this month after a court allowed the 21-year-olds to fly home pending the conclusion of their case.
The pair were arrested in July after a 39-year-old woman alleged they viciously assaulted her in a hotel room hours after winning their first caps against the Pumas in Mendoza.
“Oscar is back training,” Boboul told reporters.
“He feels good.
“People talk a lot about what happened, I’m just happy that he’s back with us at the training ground,” he added.
Lock Auradou took part in training with Pau two weeks ago but no date for their first games back has been set.
According to legal sources, the investigation surrounding the pair is close to finishing after a psychological report on the woman shows a series of inconsistencies and contradictions.
The case against them could be dismissed as early as next week.
The three-match tour of South America was originally marred after fullback Melvyn Jaminet was sent home for making racist remarks on social media.
At the start of last season, flank Jegou was suspended for a month after testing positive for cocaine.
The incidents have led to the French Rugby Federation planning on a “zero tolerance” policy and some leading clubs considering weekly drug testing of players.
Meanwhile, Jaminet returned to training with club Toulon this week despite his lengthy suspension.
Jaminet was banned for 34 weeks by the French Rugby Federation (FFR) after publishing a video on Instagram in July following France’s first Test in Argentina.
The 25-year-old will be suspended until next year.
“He spoke to the team before coming back, I think it was necessary, and we’re very happy to have him back,” Toulon hooker Teddy Baubigny told reporters on Thursday.
“Even if he won’t play right away, he remains an important player for the squad.”
Former Perpignan fullback Jaminet has accepted to take part in community service to reduce his ban by eight weeks and was fined 30,000 euros ($32,500) by the FFR.
On July 9, the Paris prosecutor’s office opened an investigation into “death threats due to origin” following a complaint from an anti-racism NGO about the player’s comments.
