France star’s ‘no longer relevant’ reflection as he finally breaks silence about his Mendoza arrest
Oscar Jegou got into trouble in Argentina in the aftermath of his 2024 Test debut under France head coach Fabien Galthie (inset)
French rugby’s Oscar Jegou has finally broken his silence on the Mendoza affair, 14 months after he was charged with aggravated gang rape with his teammate Hugo Auradou during their country’s 2024 tour of Argentina.
Having made his Test debut in the 28-13 win at Estadio Malvinas Argentinas on July 6, the La Rochelle back-rower was arrested two days later and then charged along with Auradou on July 12.
The timeline of what followed was that the pair were placed under house arrest on July 16 with electronic tags before their August 12 release, and they were allowed to return to France in September 2024 before Argentinian courts dropped the charges against them and dismissed the case on December 10.
Having returned to playing for both club and country, Jegou’s South American experience was avoided during two media appearances. It was last March when the media was instructed not to question him about the incident when taking part in a La Rochelle media briefing.
“No longer relevant…”
The subject was also avoided when he was put forward to the media following a 2025/26 Top 14 Round One defeat for his club at Bordeaux earlier this month. However, ahead of this Sunday’s match away to Toulon, Jegou was quizzed for the first time by the media about events in Mendoza last year.
“I play rugby, that’s all I do,” he replied. “Everything that happened around it, I’m sure of myself and I know what I’m worth. I’m concentrating on Stade Rochelais, rugby. What is happening around it is no longer relevant. That’s all.
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“I never felt like I had stepped out (of the role of professional rugby player for La Rochelle). I always kept working very hard, even there (in Argentina). My head stayed in rugby all that time.”
Following his return to France 12 months ago, Jegou has played 17 times for La Rochelle. He also played off the bench for Fabien Galthie’s national team in their Six Nations title-winning campaign earlier this year.