Bashed France centre Mathieu Bastareaud heads home to Paris

[jargan83]

Bashed France centre Mathieu Bastareaud heads home to Paris

By Greg Buckle,June 22, 2009

France assistant coach Emile Ntamack says he hopes the assault on France player Mathieu Bastareaud doesn't cause problems between Les Bleus and the New Zealand people.

The New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) will speak with police about an apparently unprovoked assault on the centre just hours after his team lost the second Test to the New Zealand 14-10 in Wellington.

The France team held a press conference in Sydney on Monday ahead of Saturday's Test match against the Wallabies and were keen to play down the incident which left the 20-year-old player upset but not seriously injured.

"It's bad for Mathieu, he doesn't play," Ntamack said.

"This is a sport but when you are in an incident like that, it is always a shame.

"I don't want to see a problem between Les Bleus and the New Zealand All Blacks and the New Zealand public.

"It's just a bad incident. He hasn't broken a bone or something like that.

"In rugby you have some stupid people (fans)."

Bastareaud has four stitches in his face after he was attacked in central Wellington by a group of men early on Sunday morning.

The French team spokesman, Lionel Rossigneux, said the player had spoken to New Zealand police but was now en route to Paris.

http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,...-23217,00.html

[welshrugbyfan]

6ft and 110 Kegs, would have taken a few of them to hurt him.

Pis* weak beer fighters. Line up on him in a fair match, yep you wouldn't have the kahoonas.

[prop53]

Shame Shame Shame

[Burgs]

Pricks.
Unfortunately every country has them

[fulvio sammut]

Nah, it's because they're Kiwis.

Never got over the Rainbow Warrior, although these days most of them think it was a fighting fairy.

[tragic]

Poor bastareaud!


(And really, poor bugger I hope he managed to inflict some damage on the rubbish that did this).

[brokendown gunfighter]

the moral is:not to leave a p.iss up early

[travelling_gerry]

June 25, 2009 - 6:19PM

The attack on French rugby player Mathieu Bastareaud - which has caused much soul searching by politicians and rugby administrators - may not have happened on Wellington's streets as claimed.

The attack on Bastareaud had been reported as happening early on Sunday morning, when he was returning to his team's hotel after a night on the town after his side's loss to the All Blacks.

Bastareaud told police he was attacked from behind by five men, leaving him with a serious eye injury, but his recollection was patchy.

However, police had been given CCTV footage showing an uninjured Bastareaud walking into his hotel with two other players and two women, TV One reported.

Police planned to comment on the inquiry on Friday afternoon, Inspector Pete Cowan said.

On Wednesday, police said they had identified two women who had accompanied three members of the French team back to the Holiday Inn hotel.

Holiday Inn general manager Heather Idoine-Riley told NZPA that the hotel was co-operating with police and would not comment further.

Bastareaud has returned to France to recover from his injuries.

Because Bastareaud could not identify his attackers, the French team had not made an official complaint.

France team spokesman Lionel Rossigneux defended his player on Thursday.

"He went back to the hotel with two other rugby players after the attack," Lionel Rossigneux told AAP.

"When he came back to the hotel, he went straight to see the team doctor."

Rossigneux said he hadn't seen the TV footage.

"I'm not sure if it was him on the (TV) picture," he said.

"Have the police identified him as one of the three players walking back to the hotel?

"It may be another player walking back to the hotel later on or earlier, I don't know."

© 2009 NZPA

http://news.rugbyheaven.com.au/break...0625-cy1w.html

[travelling_gerry]

26th June 2009, 6:00 WST

France international centre Mathieu Bastareaud revised his claims of allegedly being assaulted in Wellington, New Zealand, last Sunday, saying he had fallen over a table in his hotel room.

The 20-year-old Stade Francais star originally said he had been set upon by four or five people when he got out of a taxi at his hotel in the early hours of Sunday morning after the 14-10 second Test defeat by New Zealand.

However, the New Zealand press on Thursday claimed images of Bastareaud entering the hotel showed him unscarred and that in fact he had been involved in a ruckus with another team-mate over a girl.

Bastareaud had to return to France instead of moving on with the squad for this weekend's Test with Australia, but he did not make a formal complaint and John Key, the New Zealand Prime Minister, was moved to make an apology.

"I have to return to the events in New Zealand," said Bastareaud in a statement.

"I owe the truth to everybody.

"On Saturday evening, I returned to the hotel after having drunk too much.

"I fell in my bedroom and scarred my cheekbone on the table in the room.

"I was ashamed and panicked and I thought I would be sent packing by the team management.

"I recounted the original story because I thought it would be believed, but given the coverage it has subsequently received I thought it would be better to tell the truth," added Bastareaud, who on Tuesday had confessed to being stunned by the press interest in the incident.

Bastareaud said that in particular he had not wanted to upset his family, who are deeply religious.

"I did not want my family to be ashamed," he said.

"I panicked and I dug myself deeper into a hole.

"I would like to apologise to the New Zealand Federation, to the city of Wellington, to the French players, the coaching staff, my team, my friends and all of those who were part of the story."

Max Guazzini, the flamboyant owner of Stade Francais, also issued a statement saying it was a youthful misadventure.

"It was simply jolly japes by a youngster," said Guazzini in a statement.

"He had too much to drink, came back to his hotel and fell over the table in his room. He has now gone on holiday to the French West Indies."

On Thursday New Zealand TV station TV One claimed the player had not been assaulted as he had claimed in the street.

"The police recovered the close circuit footage which showed Bastareaud returning un-injured to the hotel in company with two players and two women," NZPA reported citing the images shown on TV One.

AFP
http://www.thewest.com.au/default.as...ntentID=150658

[Burgs]

"He had too much to drink, came back to his hotel and fell over the table in his room. He has now gone on holiday to the French West Indies."...to REALLY get on it!

Somehow I don't think he will be on the next New Zealand tour!

[tragic]

What an ass.

[travelling_gerry]

June 25, 2009 - 6:19PM


Bastareaud told police he was attacked from behind by five men, leaving him with a serious eye injury, but his recollection was patchy.

However, police had been given CCTV footage showing an uninjured Bastareaud walking into his hotel with two other players and two women, TV One reported.


http://news.rugbyheaven.com.au/break...0625-cy1w.html

He is probably still lying. It was the 2 women who bashed him up and he just saying that he fell over onto a table to save face.

[jargan83]

what a dickhead

[bunter]

Nah, it's because they're Kiwis.

Never got over the Rainbow Warrior, although these days most of them think it was a fighting fairy.

Seems like the player was fighting fairys Fulvio, fancy you not waiting for the truth!

[zimeric]

lying bastard! i mean Bastareaud

this sort of thing is becoming all too common these days, seems anyone will say anything just to get a bit of media exposure...
chk chk BOOM!