The news broken by our colleagues at Rugbyrama has landed like a bombshell. Nicolas Nadau, Grenoble’s backs coach, has just been suspended pending investigation by the Isère club on Tuesday. He is due to be heard by the club’s directors on Friday morning. The reason? Comments aimed at the team doctor during last Friday’s game against Brive.

South African prop Johannes Jonker had to leave the field after a quarter of an hour with a bleed. The treatment took too long, however, and the tighthead was unable to return to the pitch. The situation greatly irritated Nicolas Nadau and forced Georgian Giorgi Pertaïa to play almost the entire match. “It’s not for the want of telling him! What he’s just done is professional misconduct! Where’s Hueber (Aubin, FCG general manager, editor’s note)? My balls too, right there,” the backs coach fired at his medical staff, in comments picked up by a Canal + microphone.

No game against Provence?

Comments which, according to Rugbyrama, angered the Grenoble directors and pushed the players to go on strike. The squad did not train on Tuesday morning and might even not play on Friday evening in the big clash with Provence Rugby.”Whether the players strike or not will change nothing. The club’s position is clear : our coach’s comments during the game at Brive are unacceptable. I have seen the LNR doctor’s report, and it is very clear and precise about the terms that put our coach at fault. It refers to unacceptable comments towards our club doctor. That constitutes misconduct and the club has taken the decision to suspend him pending investigation,” club president Patrick Goffi responded, adding that going on strike “will change nothing and is even counter-productive”.

Nothing suggests for the moment that Nadau (50) – who has taken FCG to the gates of Top 14 three times in recent years – will leave the club for good. The coming days look set to be tense in the Isère.