International: Battered
Bastareaud back in France as police appeal for witnesses
23 June 2009
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Bruised but okay: French
centre Mathieu Bastareaud
Photo: Michael Paler |
Injured
centre Mathieu Bastareaud is back in France following
the unprovoked assault in New Zealand which left him
requiring four stitches and nursing a black eye.
The
hulking Stade Francais player had a scan on his damaged
eye-socket but the results showed no fracture. “He’s fine,”
said Lionel Rossigneux, the French team spokesman.
The
20-year-old told Police he was attacked by a group of
between two to five people as he returned to the team hotel
in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Emile
N’Tamack, France’s assistant coach, blamed the incident on
“some stupid people” and said it wouldn’t affect the good
relations between both squads of players.
“This is
sport, but when you are in an incident like that it is
always a shame,” he said. “It’s just a bad incident. He
hasn’t broken a bone or something like that,” added
N’Tamack, as he tried to play down the assault.
“There
is bruising about the eye, but to be in a fight like that
was a big fright to him,” said N’Tamack. “His injuries are
not very important. He hasn’t broken any bones, but in the
mind… he is upset, yes.”
New
Zealand Police are scanning CCTV footage to try and help
them with their investigation, and are also keeping an eye
on the internet after Bastareaud said he believed one of his
attackers may have filmed the assault on a mobile phone.
Pierre
Camou, president of the Federation Francaise de Rugby (FFR)
described the attack as “sad” but added “this assault could
occur in any city in the world”.
All Blacks coach Graham Henry has spoken of
his “embarrassment” at the incident, and warned that tighter
security was now inevitable in the build up to New Zealand
hosting the 2011 World Cup.
French
players were also pelted with plastic bottles and fruit as
they took in a lap of honour following their first Test win
at Dunedin, and spectators also held up play with pitch
invasions at Wellington.
“It’s
embarrassing for the All Blacks for that sort of thing to
happen,” said Henry. “There needs to be a message, the
message needs to be given straight away,” he added.
Henry
described the attack on Bastareaud as “a real negative” and
said his players had been annoyed by the incident as squad
relations had been very positive during the tour.
Bastareaud’s departure was just the latest in a series of
setbacks for the battle-weary French, who have also lost Sébastien
Chabal, Yannick Jauzion, Louis Picamoles and Thomas Domingo.
Jauzion
and Picamoles have both left the tour squad after picking up
neck injuries, while prop Domingo has also flown home
suffering from sore ribs.
Domingo’s injury prompted Lièvremont to call up Castres prop
Luc Ducalcon from the Franc ‘A’ squad which had been
competing at the Nations Cup in Romania.
Chabal
too flew home this week following an MRI scan on his injured
left calf, sustained during the 14-10 defeat at Wellington.
The iconic lock will not be replaced, leaving Lièvremont
with just two specialist second row options for the weekend
clash with Australia in Sydney – Romain Millo-Chluski and
Pascal
Papé. Bayonne captain Rémy Martin could
conceivably move up to lock if required.
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