Sidelined NRL star Jack de Belin has been committed to stand trial on charges he and a friend raped a teenager in Wollongong.
The 28-year-old St George Illawarra lock faces five charges of aggravated sexual assault in company after allegedly attacking the 19-year-old woman at a Wollongong unit in December.
One of the charges alleges he recklessly inflicted actual bodily harm during the rape.
Another man, 22-year-old Callan Sinclair from Shell Cove, faces identical charges.
De Belin, a former NSW State of Origin player, pleaded not guilty in February. Sinclair has indicated he will also fight the charges.
Both men said nothing in Wollongong Local Court on Wednesday as magistrate Michael Stoddart separately committed them to Wollongong District Court.
The matter is due back in court on August 20, two days before the Federal Court begins hearing de Belin's appeal over the NRL's no-fault stand-down policy, which has sidelined him since the beginning of the 2019 season.
A judge previously ruled the competition was permitted to protect its interests by preventing players facing serious charges from taking the field.
But de Belin argues the NRL and the Australian Rugby League Commission haven't presented any evidence that a single sponsor or commercial partner threatened to withdraw as a result of him or other players being charged with serious crimes.
"Instead there was conjecture and speculation on part of the (code's) witnesses about these matters," de Belin said in submissions to the court in July.
The Federal Court in June heard de Belin's District Court rape trial may not take place until 2020
Australian Associated Press
