Quadriplegic after a tackle in rugby: “I had no intention of harming him”… The player in question pleads an involuntary gesture

“Since this accident, rugby is over for me. It has even become complicated to watch a match.” With reddened eyes, the young 20-year-old from Toulouse, author of the tackle which made Mathias Dantin quadriplegic at the age of 17 during a UNSS rugby match, on December 14, 2022 in Tarbes, advanced this Tuesday to the bar of the court of Tarbes in the Hautes-Pyrénées.

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Prosecuted for violence resulting in permanent disability, the latter faced up to 10 years of imprisonment for having carried out a gesture prohibited by the rules of rugby: namely a cathedral tackle, moreover delayed. An action lasting just a few seconds, which irreversibly impacted the victim’s life. But from the start of the debates, President Lucile Pichenot indicated that the reclassification of the facts as involuntary injuries, called for by the defense brought by Me Pascal Nakache of the Toulouse bar, would be included in the debates.

“It was the final of a departmental sevens rugby tournament, and the end of the match between the teams from the Notre Dame de Garaison de Mauléon-Magnoac and Saint-Pierre de Tarbes high schools,” recontextualized the judge. “The Tarbes team was on the verge of winning the competition but one last action was played.”

And it was during this final phase of play that the sporting encounter changed. “There was a scrum, then the ball was cleared. Mathias Dantin, captain of the Tarbes team ran and recovered the ball. He avoided two tackles from opposing players before Garaison’s number 9 arrived in running towards him and makes this tackle by lifting him and carrying him towards the sidelines. Mathias Dantin has landed on his head.

“A poorly controlled gesture”

At the heart of the debates before the court, these few seconds filmed by a friend of Mathias Dantin on the phone. Distant images, broadcast in a loop to the audience, and dissected at length by each party. Problem: at the time of the so-called cathedral tackle, a person is in the field of vision and hides the action. The courtroom then transformed into a forum and everyone gave their analysis.

“I remain convinced that Mathias had the ball when I started the tackle,” the young defendant kept repeating. “I already had my arms around his waist when he made the pass.” Mathias Dantin’s feet raised towards the sky before his head touched the ground? “Perhaps with the speed because I carried him towards the sidelines with the aim of stopping the action. It was certainly a poorly controlled gesture, but especially not with the intention of harming him,” said assured the Toulouse resident.

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For Mathias Dantin, who spoke at length at the bar: “I suffered an attack. He is a player whose aggressive side I had already noticed during a previous UNSS tournament. Like me, he played in club and had a higher level than the other students. In UNSS, we are there to give a taste to those who do not practice often. ‘it happened to me.’

And the Dantin family’s lawyer, Hélène Simon-Grasse, said: “Can we imagine that when we lift someone up to make them fall again we don’t know what we are doing?”

“We are killing this sport”

If the complaint initially filed by the Dantin family against Tarbes. “Violence in rugby is conceivable, but only within the limits of the rules of the game,” declared the prosecutor. “The cathedral tackle is one of the most dangerous gestures and it is prohibited in rugby. Lifting someone and turning them over is a voluntary act.” 18 months suspended imprisonment was requested against the defendant.

“The danger here is arbitrariness. If we continue with the cathedral tackles practiced every weekend in France, we are putting this sport to death,” defended Mr. Nakache who tried to demonstrate that his client does not He didn’t intend to cause harm. “Without a criminal record, two red cards in 10 years of rugby, why would he have voluntarily decided to crush Mathias Dantin?”

At the end of the debates, the player accused reserved his last words for the victim. “I admire her strength and courage. I’m sorry.” The court’s decision was reserved until February 18, 2025.