Rugby players Rory Grice and Chris Farrell are no longer under contract with the Oyonnax club. The Ain team, resident of Pro D2, the French second division, made this known on Thursday, January 9, in a press release. This decision to break the commitment which linked her to the two men was taken “unanimously” by the members of the club council, “after having become aware of the criminal convictions handed down to [l’]against [des deux joueurs] ».
Rory Grice, 34-year-old New Zealand third row, was sentenced on December 13, 2024 by the Gironde Assize Court to twelve years in prison for having raped a young woman, after an alcoholic evening which followed a match from Grenoble, in Top 14, to Bordeaux in 2017. He appealed this decision. Irishman Chris Farrell, 31, was sentenced to four years in prison, two of which were suspended, for having witnessed all or part of the events without intervening. He did not appeal.
Rory Grice arrived in Oyonnax in 2017. Chris Farrell signed for Ain in 2023, after a spell at Munster.
Three other players sentenced
In this case, two other former Grenoble players, the Irishman Denis Coulson, now retired, and the Frenchman Loïck Jammes, who has worn the colors of Aix-en-Provence since 2019, were sentenced to fourteen years in prison . The second appealed, and his club announced “reserve the right to make additional decisions” against his hooker.
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New Zealander Dylan Hayes, 30, retired, was sentenced to four years in prison, two of which were suspended, for having witnessed all or part of the events without intervening.
