Court hears bid to end rape case against French rugby players

An Argentinian court on Nov 25 began hearing an application by two French international rugby players accused of raping a woman after a match in July to have the charges dismissed.

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Hugo Auradou and Oscar Jegou, both aged 21, were held for nearly two months in Argentina in connection with the alleged attack on a 39-year-old woman in Mendoza after a win against Los Pumas.

They deny the charges, saying the sex was consensual.

Prosecutors in October recommended that the charges of aggravated rape - a charge used for suspected gang rape - be dropped.

Lawyers for the pair and their accuser did not speak in detail when they arrived at the hearing, an AFP reporter said, while the judge for the case is expected to make her decision known in a few days, counsel for both sides said.

The players' defence counsel German Hnatow said he was confident his clients would be cleared.