Speaking at a press conference in Marcoussis on his return from Argentina, where he had to deal with the arrest and subsequent indictment for aggravated rape of two players as well as the expulsion from the tour of another player for posting a racist video online, Grill said players needed “to have a sense of responsibility”.
He also conjectured that the two players left behind under arrest in Argentina, Hugo Auradou, 20, and Oscar Jegou, 21, would likely face trial within “nine to 14 months”.
The two men were arrested on July 8 in Buenos Aires after a 39-year-old woman accused them of raping her multiple times and beating her in a Mendoza hotel room after the first Test match between Argentina and France, in which they both made their international debuts.
They deny the accusation, saying they had consensual sexual relations with the woman, according to their Argentinian lawyer.
“There are important clues that appeared three or four days ago and that indicated to us that there was something, and now very, very important evidence has appeared,” their lawyer Rafael Cuneo Libarona told AFP on Tuesday.
“There is no doubt in my mind that they did not commit a crime.”
If found guilty, the players face between eight and 20 years in prison.
The examination of their request for house arrest is expected to take “at least 10 days”, according to the public prosecutor’s office in Mendoza.
