Ex-Ireland centre among 5 rugby players standing trial in Bordeaux

Five former players from the French rugby club Grenoble will on trial today (Monday) in Bordeaux over allegations that three of them gang-raped a student following a match in 2017.

The trial will hinge on whether the young woman - now aged 27 - was too intoxicated to consent to sex.

The plaintiff, referred to as 'V' and represented by - among others - Anne Cadiot-Feidt, has chosen to remain anonymous to safeguard her identity.

The accused players are Denis Coulson (30) from Ireland, Rory Grice (34) from New Zealand and Loick Jammes (29) from France.

Two additional players, Chris Farrell (31) from Ireland, and Dylan Hayes (30) from New Zealand, are being tried for failing to prevent a crime.

Farrell was part of Ireland’s Grand Slam-winning 2018 Six Nations squad and also represented Ulster and Munster.

According to the account, V and two friends met the rugby players at a Bordeaux bar after Grenoble played a Top 14 championship match on March 11, 2017.

The group consumed cocktails and then proceeded to a nightclub. V has stated that she does not recall how the night ended after leaving the nightclub. She and Coulson reportedly took a taxi to the players’ hotel around 4:00 am.

A toxicologist’s report indicated that V had between 2.2 and 3.0 grams of alcohol per litre of blood at the time, which is more than ten times the legal driving limit in France. Surveillance footage from the hotel shows V struggling to stand while being supported by Coulson, who also appears to prevent her from re-entering the taxi on two occasions.

V alleges she awoke at approximately 7:00 am naked on a bed with a crutch in her vagina, surrounded by two naked men and others who were clothed. Testimonies from the defendants and witnesses, along with a video filmed by Coulson during a sex act, suggest that oral sex and penetration with objects, including crutches, took place.

The defendants have admitted to engaging in sex acts with V but claim the interactions were consensual. Jammes’s lawyer -  Denis Dreyfus - suggested that the hearings would focus on the challenges of obtaining consent when all parties are intoxicated. Corinne Dreyfus-Schmidt - representing Coulson - characterized the trial as one concerning alcohol rather than the actions of the rugby players.

Cadiot-Feidt pointed out the high tolerance for alcohol-fueled incidents in some French rugby clubs, criticizing the tendency to place blame on the victim’s behaviour rather than examining how the attackers assessed consent.