Hugo Auradou (born 20 July 2003)[1] is a France rugby union player who plays as a lock for Pau in the Top 14 competition and the France national team. He made his Top 14 debut with his club on 22 December 2022.
| Date of birth | 20 July 2003 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place of birth | Sèvres, France | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 2.00 m (6 ft 6+1⁄2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 109 kg (17 st 2 lb; 240 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notable relative(s) |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing career
editEarly career
editAuradou started rugby for his hometown club in 2010, and then joined Mont-de-Marsan as a junior in 2014. In 2020, he signed with Pau and joined the Top 14 club at the end of the 2021–22 season.[2]
He was part of the world championship winning team, the France national under-20 rugby union team, at the 2023 World Rugby U20 Championship.[3] He played 4 games. Auradou made his EPCR Challenge Cup debut for Section Paloise in 2021 against London Irish. His Top 14 debut for Pau was against Aviron Bayonnais in the 2022–23 Top 14 season.[4]
Personal life
editHugo Auradou is a member of the Auradou family rugby dynasty:
- David Auradou – father, played (and captained) for Stade français and the France national rugby union team; coached Stade français and Stade Montois Rugby.
- Paul Auradou – older brother, played for Section Paloise and RC Narbonne.
Sex assault charges and acquittal
editOn 8 July 2024, Auradou was arrested in Buenos Aires, Argentina on sex abuse charges.[5][6][7] Auradou and fellow France national rugby teammate Oscar Jégou reportedly committed an act of sexual assault against a woman while staying at the Diplomatic Hotel in Mendoza, Argentina on 6 July 2024 while the Les Bleus tour was underway in the area.[5][7][6] The accuser reported that she was not only sexually abused by both Auradou and Jégou during a party which took place at the hotel, but was also "strangled and beaten."[8]
In December 2024, both Auradou and his teammate were acquitted on the basis of questionable evidence presented by the defence including Whatsapp voice messages the plaintiff had sent to her friend joking and boasting about the encounter after the events took place. Both players maintained for the duration of the trial that while they did have sex with the plaintiff the encounter was entirely consensual.[9]
Honours
edit- International
References
edit- ^ "AURADOU Hugo". www.section-paloise.com. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
- ^ "Rugby - Top 14 : Hugo Auradou, une touche d'excellence à la Section Paloise". LaRepubliqueDesPyrenees (in French). 25 February 2024. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
- ^ worldrugby.org. "🔴LIVE - Ireland U20 v France U20 - U20 Championship 2023". www.world.rugby. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
- ^ "Top 14. Ascendance et ascension du Palois Hugo Auradou". SudOuest.fr (in French). 2 February 2024. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
- ^ a b "Two French XV players accused of sexual assault and arrested in Argentina". Le Monde. 9 July 2024. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
- ^ a b "France's Hugo Auradou and Oscar Jégou arrested on sexual assault charges". The Guardian. 9 July 2024. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
- ^ a b "Two France rugby players held in Argentina over alleged sex assault". France 24. 9 July 2024. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
- ^ Morgan, Charlie; Richardson, Charles (9 July 2024). "Two France rugby players arrested over sexual abuse allegation after woman 'strangled and beaten'". The Telegraph. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
- ^ "French rugby players are cleared of sexual assault in Argentina". ABC News. Retrieved 12 December 2024.