René Bouscatel believes that the “excess”, which have recently affected his sport, arise, in the first place, from a “general problem in society”.
During the presentation conference for the new Top 14 season, Monday at 56e floor of the Montparnasse Tower, the president of the National Rugby League obviously mentioned the recent affairs – Jaminet and Jégou-Auradou, the death of the young Medhi Narjissi with the French U18 team – which have tarnished the image of rugby.
“We cannot help but think of these three summer cases, one of which was dramatic, which have deeply affected and marked us all.stressed René Bouscatel. Rugby, as we know, is in no way immune to the excesses of our society. These excesses must not, however, lead us to generalisations, sometimes hasty, and to amalgamations. Rugby is not a dangerous sport in itself. There is a general problem in society and rugby players cannot ignore their environment.
« We need to think about the education of our players, their support but also the sanctions that will have to be taken in the event of excesses.”
After recalling the measures already put in place by the LNR to alert the Top 14 players, he continued: “We have a lot of work to do. It is our responsibility to ensure that we limit the risks. We need to think about the education of our players, their support but also the sanctions that will have to be taken in the event of excesses.”