Dropped
France centre Mathieu Bastareaud appears to have blown his
hopes of an international recall - or at least while Marc
Lièvremont remains in charge of the national team.
The
hulking centre was an integral part of France's 2010 Grand
Slam but has been conspicuous by his absence in his
country's squad this time around.
The
22-year-old looked set for a dazzling future after scoring
three tries in his seven caps to date, even managing to
overcome a headline grabbing incident when he falsely told
New Zealand police he had been mugged while on tour with
'Les Bleus'. The ensuing media storm culminated in claims
that Bastareaud had contemplated suicide after his return to
France, but Lièvremont showed a paternal touch and brought
the talented youngster back into the fold for the 2010 Six
Nations after forgiving his "naivety".
Bastareaud appeared to pay back his coach's faith with a
series of barnstorming performances, but he has since
dropped off the radar international radar as he has once
more fallen from grace.
Lièvremont made it clear that a combination of disappointing
club form and poor fitness was behind his axing from
France's squad for the November internationals, and it seems
the head coach remained unconvinced as he again overlooked
him for the 2011 Six Nations.
That in
turn sparked Bastareaud to give a frank interview to French
rugby paper Midi Olympique this week where bemoaned his
non-selection while at the same time admitting that his form
was not as good as last season and that his fitness could be
better.
It was a
strange interview to have given, when surely he would have
been better employed trimming down his ample waist line and
concentrating on recapturing his best form for Sated
Francais. And clearly that is what Lièvremont believed too
as he openly expressed his frustration with the player when
asked about his comments at a press conference ahead of
France's Six Nations clash with Ireland this weekend.
"Must I
speak about it, really?" was Lièvremont's tired reply,
before adding: "One senses an especially helpless lad and
it's sad rather than anything else."
If any further illumination was required
Lièvremont left no doubt when he further explained his
frustration at the player. "Even if I've believed in his
potential, I've got to take competitive players and
responsible lads. I'm not sure he meets either of the two
conditions," he said.
Warming
to his theme, as it were, Lièvremont then questioned the
advice Bastareaud had been given at Stade Francais by owner
Max Guazzini and head coach Michael Cheika, claiming he was
"hit with an insulting message from the president on the
night the squad was selected". He further claimed he had
tried to contact Cheika but that he had no reply from the
Australian.
That
sparked an angry response from Cheika, who told Lièvremont
to "concentrate on his work" rather than speaking about
private conversations.
It all
adds up to a bit of a messy episode, with Bastareaud having
done himself no favours with his Midi Olympique interview.
The real
shame is that he is an immensely talented player, one
capable of bursting through the very best defences in the
world, and a gem that could have shone at the 2011 Rugby
World Cup. But it now seems that is a very distant prospect
indeed, and France will be poorer for it.
Six Nations: Poitrenaud in at
full-back as Lièvremont moves Traille to inside centre
