NZ players held over rape claim

Two Kiwis are reportedly part of a group of six rugby players suspended by their club after they were held by French police following the receipt of a rape complaint yesterday.

Global news agency AFP reported the players from the Grenoble club were detained and questioned at Grenoble police station after a young woman alleged she was raped after meeting the players at a nightclub following their team’s Top 14 match against Bordeaux-Begles on March 11.

Irish news organisation RTE named the New Zealand players as back-rowers Rory Grice and Dylan Hayes, while Irish players Denis Coulson and Chris Farrell and Australian Peter Kimlin were also part of the group.

A former member of the New Zealand Sevens squad and national under-20 representative, 26-year-old Grice played for Waikato before joining Grenoble in 2014. Last year he was banned for nine weeks for throwing his mouthguard at a referee during a Top 14 game.

Hayes, 23, also arrived at Grenoble in 2014 and is a former Marlborough player who was playing for Hutt Valley Old Boys Marist in the Wellington club competition before signing on with the French side.

Kimlin, a former Wallabies player, has tweeted that he was at the police station to help establish a timeline for the investigation.

A lawyer for the two Irish players insisted they ‘‘are being treated as witnesses, rather than suspects’’, the Irish Sun reported.

She also said the players had not been sacked by Grenoble Rugby Football Club.

AFP reported Grenoble had said in a statement they had decided to suspend the players, who were facing accusations of drugging and raping the woman, with immediate effect.

‘‘In order to avoid any confusion between the investigation, which concerns individual and private behaviour, and Grenoble Rugby club, we have decided to immediately lay off the players concerned as a precautionary measure,’’ the club statement said.

Grenoble club president Eric Pilaud also told AFP he ‘‘felt sick’’ at the allegations a group of his players had been involved in raping a woman and added ’’if the case is confirmed, it’s serious.’’

The allegations come in the wake of two prominent New Zealand players and former All Blacks falling foul of the law in France.

Lock Ali Williams is awaiting a court appearance on charges of buying cocaine in Paris late last month and is also set to face a French rugby disciplinary committee along with former Wallabies utility back James O’Connor, who he was with at the time. Just days prior to that it was revealed star first five-eighth Dan Carter had been stopped by French police in relation to alleged drinkdriving. Carter is also still to appear before the courts.