This was widely expected for several weeks and even more so in recent days. It's now official: Oscar Jegou and Hugo Auradou are among the 42 players who must join Marcoussis, Monday morning, to prepare for the 2025 6 Nations Tournament with the French XV.
A non-event, in the harsh text: the Argentine courts cleared the two players of charges of aggravated rape. An earthquake, however: just six months ago their names were associated with the idea of the worst, of a certain shame falling on our sport and its societal duties.
Beyond the question of whether it was necessary to recall (or not) Oscar Jegou and Hugo Auradou to the French team, here is another: is it too early? Relying solely on the legal framework, Fabien Galthié and his staff chose to move quickly. Like the clubs, by the way. Since the players are declared selectable, the coach selects them.
For him, it is the way of closing the page on this painful sequence, of making Jegou and Auradou rugby players again in the eyes of the public, rather than the accused. There is clearly a communication exercise behind this summons.
Not sure that the goal has been achieved: since Wednesday, the subject of the French XV has only been discussed through the prism of the two players. And the debate, which time would surely have calmed, resurfaces from all sides, fueled by this eagerness to move forward.
To defend the players and their immediate return to Blue, in the face of criticism, we hear this minimalist frankness: “These 3rd half stories have always existed”. True in substance, rubbish in form. That the tours of the XV of France have historically been peppered with a thousand extra-sporting affairs, not always glorious, is a certainty; there are so many of these stories told behind the scenes, half smiling and half grimacing, as one recounts the exploits of another time when morals allowed the gritty, sometimes the abject, as long as it was protected by the seal of camaraderie.
-However, this precedence does not justify that it still has its place in our rugby without leading to (disciplinary) sanctions. By lining up behind the Argentine court decision and following the clubs, the FFR has somehow chosen not to decide. And to leave it to tomorrow, with a behavioral framework set for the future but which turns a blind eye to yesterday's responsibilities.
With the “never again!” hammered out by President Florian Grill, the Federation chose not to sacrifice for the sake of example and to promise that it will sanction next time. “This is the last time!”, as a parent swears who never carries out the promised sentence and makes a game of repeated threats, a fluctuating limit that is forever malleable, guided by the interest of the moment. For things and morals to change, to no longer sweep anywhere other than in front of your door, you will have to take responsibility and punish one day.
After all, anteriority also strikes closest to us. Since so much business pollutes the daily life of clubs; since the “revelers” of Lille (2024, after the 13-13 against Italy), who went out despite the ban were not sanctioned; since those from Edinburgh (2018 Tournament), removed from the plane by the Scottish police had not been sanctioned; since the rebels of Buenos Aires (July 2024), released a week after the “Jegou-Auradou” bomb despite the formal ban, were not sanctioned either… We begin to doubt that the ax will really fall, A day.
However, our rugby is rumbling. We continue to play with fire regarding the image of this sport, the educational values of which we trample underfoot, the respect that we erect at every turn. We continue to lie to ourselves and let people believe in sanctions that are not sanctions. Therefore, we do not educate, we do not train and we do not change. Straight ahead, it's the wall…
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