CThis is the affair that Dax was buzzing about, but on which few agree to speak publicly. The embarrassment is perceptible in this city which breathes Rugby. It was around another emblem of the spa town, the Place de la Fontaine-chaude and its numerous bars, that the events took place on the night of Saturday November 2 to Sunday November 3, 2024.
According to stories collected by “Sud Ouest”, two players from the professional squad of US Dax, Nacika Ratu and Jope Naseara, spent the evening in this lively district of Dax, going to different bars. The evening would have changed around 1 a.m., following the behavior of one of the two players towards a woman, within the confines of an establishment. Acts of violence against bar staff were also allegedly committed. One man was notably injured in the nose. Another person says they are psychologically shocked. Various complaints would have been filed.
The facts covered by the investigation took place on the night of Saturday November 2 to Sunday November 3, 2024, Place de la Fontaine-chaude in Dax.
Isabelle Louvier / SO
Two “separate investigations” are thus carried out by the Dax public prosecutor’s office: one for “sexual assault” committed by a player, another for “violence committed under the influence of alcohol” by another player, indicates the prosecutor of Dax, Benoît Fontaine.
The club reacts
“We are working with sports management to create a risk prevention program”
The two Fijian players were placed in police custody on Thursday November 7, 2024. “A measure still in progress in the afternoon,” specifies the Dax prosecutor.
Nacika Ratu and Jope Naseara were therefore not at the departure of the bus that took US Dax to Béziers today for the trip to the tenth day of the Pro D2 championship, this Friday, November 8.
“US Dax Rugby Landes is informed of criminal proceedings involving two of its players. The facts still remain under the discretion of the investigation. However, the club, which condemns any inappropriate behavior, reacted as soon as it was informed in order to help the rapid manifestation of the truth for the respect and support of the victims”, communicated at the end of the day the president of the board of directors of the US Dax, Benjamin Gufflet.
The Dacquois club says it “has already initiated a disciplinary procedure, the outcome of which will depend in particular on the seriousness of the facts established and the ability of its employees to amend. We are working with sports management to create a risk prevention program for players. These facts reinforce the urgency of this approach for the future of the club,” adds the Dacquois manager.
The Dax prosecutor's office should communicate on Friday November 8 on the two ongoing investigations. At this point, both players benefit from the presumption of innocence.
Who are they?
Rugby players Jope Naseara (21 years old) and Nacika Ratu (29 years old) arrived in the summer of 2023 to strengthen US Dax, back in Pro D2, the second professional level. Last season, the wing three-quarter, the club's top try scorer, and the third row largely contributed to maintaining this level, participating in nearly twenty matches each. Natives of the Fiji Islands and speaking very little French, they were supervised on and off the field by an almost fatherly figure in the person of their teammate and compatriot Ilikena Bolakoro, who left the club last summer.
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