Still charged with rape in Argentina, Oscar Jégou returns to the field with La Rochelle

He was initially not expected to return to the Top 14 pitches before the end of the procedure concerning him. But Oscar Jégou, 21, will be lined up on Saturday November 2 in the third row during the Top 14 match between his club La Rochelle and Stade français (9:10 p.m.). Still charged with aggravated rape in Argentina – with his partner Hugo Auradou – the French international (one selection) will make his return to the field, three and a half months after his only selection during the summer tour of the XV of France.

During the night following the match, the player from La Rochelle and the player from the Pau Section were accused of rape, with one « violence terrible »by a complainant – through the voice of her lawyer. The two players, for their part, affirm that the sexual relations with the Argentinian they met in a nightclub were consensual and without violence.

Initially placed in pre-trial detention – right in the heart of the Blues' tour – then placed under house arrest in the city of Mendoza, in the west of the Andean country where the events took place, the two French people were released mid- August, then allowed to return to France at the beginning of September. If their lawyers made a request for a dismissal of the case, and were followed by the Argentine prosecutor's office, the Argentine justice system rejected several times – the last time, Friday 1^is November – the hearing to examine this request.

Banned from the Blues while the procedure is ongoing

Although both players had returned to their respective clubs, in training, Stade Rochelais had set itself the policy of waiting for the court decision in Argentina regarding Oscar Jégou before letting him find the competition. Unlike the Pau club, which chose to have Hugo Auradou play again at the start of October. But the successive postponements as well as the state of the La Rochelle club's squad have changed the situation. “Having no longer any visibility on the dismissal procedure requested by the Mendoza prosecutor, we decided, in consultation with our lawyer, to authorize Oscar to play again this weekendjustified the president of La Rochelle, Vincent Merlin, Thursday in Southwest. We renew our confidence in the Argentine justice system, but we are very impatient for the procedure to come to an end with the holding of the hearing on the dismissal of the case. »

In addition to this vagueness of the calendar, the return of Oscar Jégou with the Yellow and Black can also be explained by the shortage of third lines in the club. La Rochelle captain Grégory Alldritt and flanker Paul Boudehent were called up by the XV of France to prepare for the fall tour, and the maritimes deplore several other absences. “We are very happy to see him back on the field and to see him playing rugby,” La Rochelle assistant coach Rémi Talès commented on Thursday about the player's return.

If he returns to the field, Oscar Jégou, still charged with aggravated rape, should not return to the French team anytime soon. This week, the French Rugby Federation (FFR) announced that it was putting in place a new living environment for the various French teams, after the nightmarish summer experienced by French rugby. “There was a before Mendoza, and there will be an after Mendoza”, assured the coach, Fabien Galthié, on Tuesday, while reiterating the position of the FFR on the refusal to select Jégou and Auradou as long as the legal proceedings concerning them have not been completed.