Troubled soul can spell trouble
For many New Zealand rugby supporters, France captain Mathieu Bastareaud will be best known for his exploits in Wellington in 2009, when, as a 20-year-old, he lied about an after-hours street assault.
It was obviously big news at the time, bringing into international focus as it did the relative safety of New Zealand’s capital, and it got to the stage where Prime Minister John Key was involved. In reality Bastareaud’s cut eye and bruised face came as a result of a drunken fall in his hotel room.
Bastareaud has long been a troubled soul. Recently he was accused of making homophobic slurs while playing for his club Toulon and in 2014, shortly before his autobiography Tete Haute (Head Held High) was published, he said following a defeat: “I’m a zombie. I think that now I’ve come to the end of the road.”
He clearly hadn’t and for that we can all be thankful. Now he is the captain of a team that few outside France will believe can beat the All Blacks at Eden Park on Saturday. Perhaps it took time playing alongside former All Black midfielder Ma’a Nonu to bring out the best in Bastareaud, a similar player in many ways.
Because, as many in the Northern Hemisphere know, that uncertainty and self-doubt is a world away from Bastareaud’s rampaging style in the midfield where he charges around with little regard for his safety.
Weighing 120kg-plus, Bastareaud, who has played 45 tests, has the ability to put his team on the front foot one way or another. He has always been big, maybe too much so, but that also makes him the player he is.
“He’s changed his behaviour and his preparation — especially his fitness. He’s changed his relationship with the others,” France coach Jacques Brunel said in Auckland yes- terday. “He’s giving the others a lot of confidence and a lot of serenity.”
All Blacks coach Steve Hansen said yesterday: “He’s certainly big — he’s about 128kg isn’t he? I don’t think he’s slow and I don’t think he’s a weak link at all. They’ve made him captain to try to inspire the group and I think he’ll play with his heart on his sleeve and that will make him really dangerous.
“He’s a big man and will take a fair bit of stopping. We know where he’s going to be running, so Beauden [Barrett] better get his shoulders ready.”
Former England first-five Johnny Wilkinson described his former Toulon club-mate as a “superhuman force”, and wrote the forward to Bastareaud’s autobiography, including the line: “I remain convinced the best is yet to come for him despite everything he has already accomplished. This conviction is proof of my deep respect for him.”
Englishman Dave Attwood, a Bath lock, spent a month on loan at Toulon and crossed paths with Bastareaud, telling the Guardian: “The fans are obsessed with him, he’s a cult hero. It’s a team of rock stars, but when he speaks, everyone listens and that says a lot about the man.”
It’s a hoary old truth, but France play at their best when they play with emotion, as many New Zealanders who have watched the All Blacks fail against the Tricolours will attest to.
With the inspirational Bastareaud leading from the front they have the most perfectly French rugby leader.