France - 3 International rugy players attacked by sword, machete armed gang

Very strange case; three high-profile French International rugby players in Millau, the Aveyron, have been attacked by a dozen people carrying machetes and swords, as they walked back to their hotel in the early hours.

'The armed men set upon Aurélien Rougerie, Julien Pierre and Benjamin Kayser in Millau, southern France, as they walked back to their hotel at around 3am.

"As they walked back to their hotel overnight Saturday, a group of players was assaulted by a dozen people carrying weapons including machetes, sabres," the club said.'

Pierre had to have surgery for 'deep cuts to his hips', and others have cuts to their arms, although none of the men received life threatening injuries.

The club they play for, Clermont, is outraged, and police don't seem to have a clue why this might have happened. It sounds so strange. What were a big group of men armed with machetes doing stalking the streets at 3am in the morning?

http://www.france24.com/en/20140721...by-internationals-with-machetes-swords-crime/

Ah. This article from New Zealand sheds a little light, possibly.

'Local police reported the incident took place about 3am after the players went to a nightclub, where they may have argued with other revellers.

French newspapers suggested the players went to help a woman who was being harassed by some of the offenders on the dance floor.'

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/...de-wielding-thugs-attack-France-rugby-players

Report from Australia:
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/spo...n-machete-attack/story-e6frg7o6-1226995773301

Report from Canada:
http://www.torontosun.com/2014/07/20/french-international-rugby-players-injured-in-machete-attack

Report from the UK:
http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/rugby-union/28393792

Report from France (in French):
http://www.ledauphine.com/sport/201...lermontois-agresses-a-la-machette-et-au-sabre

These guys aren't small and are tough, so I can see if some perps had a gripe with them in a nightclub, they might go home for reinforcements and weapons, before returning to start a fight. If you think about it - a dozen men with machetes, against 3 unarmed men. Yet the victims escaped with a few cuts.

They must have put up a very good defence.

http://france3-regions.francetvinfo...ser-agresses-l-arme-blanche-millau-520139.htm

Ah. Four 'young men' were arrested over the weekend, and are being questioned today. Link's in French but it doesn't really give any more info than that, so I won't give it one of my bad translations.

http://france3-regions.francetvinfo...toujours-en-garde-vue-lundi-matin-520483.html