Woman “was raped at least seven times by two French rugby stars and repeatedly tried to escape the ‘brutal violence’ that left her with bite marks and injuries to her breasts,” her lawyer claims

• Hugo Auradou, 20, and Oscar Jegou, 21, were arrested in Buenos Aires this week

A woman was allegedly raped at least seven times by two French rugby players, her lawyers claimed.

The 39-year-old Argentine suffered bite marks and injuries to her breasts in the attack in a hotel room in the Argentine city of Mendoza, according to her lawyer Natacha Romano.

French rugby internationals Hugo Auradou (20) and Oscar Jegou (21) were arrested in Buenos Aires on Monday for rape and assault.

They deny the accusation and say the sex with the woman was consensual. The players were transferred from Interpol headquarters in Buenos Aires to Mendoza on Thursday, where they are due to be formally charged today.

Romano said her client was hospitalized Thursday after feeling emotionally and physically unwell “due to everything that happened.”

She previously said the woman suffered “brutal” violence from her attackers in a hotel room, sustaining injuries to her face, back, breasts, legs and ribs, as well as multiple bite and scratch marks.

The alleged victim claims to have been raped “at least six times” by one of the men and once by the other, according to the lawyer. She is said to have made several attempts to escape.

Psychologist Nicolas Yungman, who did not treat the woman, told local media that her described symptoms could indicate post-traumatic stress disorder.

The woman will be treated at a health facility for 24 to 48 hours, Romano said Thursday.

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Auradou and Jegou spent last night in police custody and will appear before prosecutor Cecilia Bignert at 9 a.m. local time (12 noon GMT) on Friday, said Martin Ahumada, a spokesman for the Mendoza prosecutor’s office.

Once charged, the couple could be remanded in custody pending a hearing ten days later to determine whether they should await trial in custody.

Within these ten days, the two could apply for release on parole or house arrest, Ahumada said.

In Argentina, the penalty for sexual harassment is between six and 15 years according to the penal code. If two offenders commit the crime, the penalty can rise to 20 years.

The allegations, which have rocked French rugby and dominated headlines in Argentina, came during a South American tour by the French national team.

The alleged attack took place on Saturday evening at the Diplomatic Hotel in Mendoza, where France’s players and staff were staying following their friendly victory over Argentina.

Romano said the woman went with one of the men from a nightclub to a hotel room, where she said she was held against her will and abused for several hours.

“The violence was horrific,” Romano said. “There is more than one crime that needs to be investigated.”

Lawyer Rafael Cuneo Libarona, who represents the players, arrived in Mendoza on Wednesday and said the “sexual relations” were “consensual.”

“There are witnesses who saw them leave (the hotel), there are cameras that saw them leave, and the footage does not appear to show any injuries,” Libarona, the brother of the country’s Justice Minister Mariano Cuneo Libarona, told reporters.

Romano said “the overwhelming evidence that there was no consent is the victim’s body” and the wounds she sustained.

If charges are brought against the men, she will ask the court to remand them in custody, the lawyer added.

The charge, said Romano, must be “rape with the use of force.”

Florian Grill, president of the French Rugby Federation (FFR), who is currently in Argentina, said the players’ version of events was “completely different” from the woman’s and contained “many inconsistencies”.

“We are not judges or investigators, but we believe that the Argentine judiciary should look into the case very quickly,” he said.

Aradou and Jegou were replaced by lock Mickael Guillard and flanker Judicael Cancoriet for Saturday’s second friendly against Argentina in Buenos Aires.