Antoine Dupont’s candid verdict on duo cleared of rape charges being named in France’s squad
France lock Hugo Auradou, flanker Oscar Jegou and captain and scrum-half Antoine Dupont.
France skipper Antoine Dupont has revealed that the inclusion in Les Bleus’ matchday 23 of Oscar Jegou and Hugo Auradou for Friday’s Test against Wales has not had an impact on the squad.
Last July, during France’s tour of Argentina, flanker Jegou and lock Auradou, who are both 21, were arrested after being accused of the aggravated rape of a woman.
This, after the duo made their Test debuts for Les Bleus in a Test against Los Pumas in Mendoza.
Auradou and Jegou met a 39-year-old woman in a nightclub before she accused them of a vicious sexual assault in a hotel room.
However, the players insisted they had consensual sex with the woman following a night of partying.
Case dismissed due to inconsistencies
The judge in Mendoza dismissed the case following the advice of the prosecution who asked that the charges be dropped due to inconsistencies in the woman’s story regarding the incident.
The complainant’s lawyer has subsequently appealed that verdict with a hearing set for February 10-11.
France head coach Fabien Galthie named Jegou and Auradou on his replacements bench for the Six Nations opener at the Stade de France in Paris and Dupont has no qualms with the duo’s selection.
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“I haven’t felt any type of awkwardness this week or last week,” Dupont told reporters. “We’ve stayed focused on our objective of this first match with all it signifies for the rest of the competition.
“We’ve focused on ourselves, our game and that has been enough to take up our time and energy.”
First Six Nations appearance since 2023
It will be Dupont’s first appearance in the Six Nations since 2023 after he skipped last year’s Championship to focus on the Olympic Games where he won a gold medal with his country’s sevens team.
Les Bleus last won the Six Nations in 2022 and are this year’s pre-tournament favourites alongside Ireland, who were the Championship’s back-to-back winners in 2023 and 2024.
“It’s been two years since I played but I feel like it’s been an eternity,” said Dupont. “When it’s been a while that you haven’t won a competition, there’s always a bit more motivation.
“I hope to keep this enthusiasm throughout the competition.
“The whole team, after last year’s frustration, want to give everything to avoid having regrets at the end.”
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