Six Grenoble rugby players held in rape probe

Grenoble’s Stade des Alpes in southern France © AFP/File / JEAN-PIERRE CLATOT

Grenoble, France, Mar 22 – Six Grenoble rugby players including two Irishmen, two New Zealanders and an Australian former Test player, were detained Wednesday following a rape complaint, prosecutors said.

Australian lock Peter Kimlin, 31, capped twice for his country, prop Denis Coulson 22, and centre Chris Farrell, 24, both from Ireland, and New Zealander back row men Rory Grice, 26, and Dylan Hayes, 23, were detained along with French hooker Loick Jammes.

The six are being questioned following a complaint by a young woman that she had been raped by the players after meeting them at a nightclub in Bordeaux following their Top 14 match against Bordeaux-Begles on Saturday, March 11. The complaint was filed the following day.

Bordeaux police investigating the complaint were dispatched to Grenoble to carry out the questioning of the players who arrived at the Grenoble police station at around 8:40 am (0740 GMT) on Wednesday.

Three were accompanied by lawyers while the other three were apparently not represented and entered the police station through a back door.

Australian Kimlin, the oldest player under investigation, was picked to play for his country twice against Italy in 2009 and previously played for Australia’s ACT Brumbies and Exeter Chiefs in England. He joined Grenoble in 2013.

New Zealander Grice was capped twice for the All-Black Under-20s side before he joined Grenoble two seasons ago. Compatriot Hayes is a product of the Grenoble academy.

Irishman Coulson is another product of the Grenoble academy where promising young players are trained for top flight rugby where he was joined by fellow Irishman Farrell.

Frenchman Jammes, 22, is also a former Grenoble academy player and features on the ‘development’ list identifying talented players by the French Rugby Federation for 2016-17.

– Witnesses –

Police also questioned Grenoble club official Michel Martinez for two hours at the police station as a witness, the Dauphine Libere newspaper reported. It said several other Grenoble club officials and players were also expected to be questioned during the day as witnesses.

On Friday the club which is struggling to avoid relegation from the elite Top 14 division sacked the players who were under investigation without releasing their identities.

The alleged victim of the attack told police she met several Grenoble players in a nightclub after the club’s Top 14 defeat in Bordeaux. She alleged that they later took her to a hotel room where the rape occurred.

Last week the club’s Irish coach Bernard Jackman was dismissed in response to disappointing on-field performances which have added to Grenoble’s relegations fears.

Although the club stressed his departure was in no way linked to the rape investigation, the scandal increased the sense of deepening crisis at Grenoble.

The 40-year-old former Ireland and Leinster hooker needed to be replaced without delay, according to club president Eric Pilaud, in order to inject a sense of urgency into the club’s struggle for Top 14 survival.

Of the players under investigation for rape, he said last week the club respected the “presumption of innocence” several days before their dismissal was announced.

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