Oscar Jégou banned following eye-gouge on Scotland star
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Banned.
France back-rower Oscar Jégou has been handed a four-week suspension after appearing before an independent disciplinary committee following last weekend’s Six Nations clash between France and Scotland.
The 22-year-old flanker had been cited for foul play after footage appeared to show contact with the eye area of Scotland hooker Ewan Ashman during the second half of France’s 50–40 defeat in Edinburgh.
The incident occurred around the hour mark as Jégou attempted to disrupt a Scottish maul close to the French try line.
While the act went unnoticed by match officials at the time, it was later widely shared on social media and during television coverage, prompting a citing after the match.
Jégou’s disciplinary hearing was initially delayed by 24 hours before the panel ultimately amended the charge to “reckless contact with the eye(s)”.
After reviewing the evidence, the committee upheld the citing and ruled that the act constituted foul play that would have warranted a red card had it been spotted during the match.
Under World Rugby’s sanctioning framework, the offence carries a low-end entry point of six weeks. However, the panel reduced the punishment after considering several mitigating factors, including Jégou’s previous good disciplinary record and his conduct during the process.
With no aggravating circumstances identified, the sanction was cut by two weeks, resulting in a final four-week ban.
Jégou will miss France’s Six Nations match against England this weekend, as well as three fixtures for his club Stade Rochelais — against Section Paloise, Aviron Bayonnais and Newcastle Falcons.
