Bastareaud is heading back to the Top 14 on a two-year deal
Mathieu Bastareaud’s short-lived stint at Rugby United New York has come to an end as the ex-French international will be moving to Lyon on a two-year deal in time for the start of the 2020/21 Top 14 season.
Bastareaud’s recruitment by the teething Major League Rugby franchise made headlines around the rugby world when he agreed to move to America from Toulon last season.
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Rugby United New York’s Ben Foden chats to Jim Hamilton in the latest episode of The Lockdown, the new RugbyPass series
However, the MLR last month pulled the plug on its 2020 season just five games into the campaign due to the coronavirus pandemic outbreak and Bastareaud has now decided to head back to French rugby rather than commit to a second year in New York as had been hoped for by the club.
James Kennedy, Rugby United New York’s majority owner, told RugbyPass: “He will be in Top 14, he has got a two-year contract with Lyon. He will be over there and will do well.”
It was at Lyon last August where the long-established midfielder first unveiled his positional switch to No8. Having failed to get selected in Jacques Brunel’s France World Cup squad for the finals in Japan, Bastareaud played in seven Top 14 matches at the start of the 2019/20 season for Lyon before arriving in New York after touring in November with the Barbarians.
He started the American season back in the midfield but soon switched into the No8 role and Kennedy believes his marquee French signing was coming into form despite start-of-season criticism that he was not as fit as he needed to be.
“There are two parts to Mathieu. First of all, as a human being, he was bang on, one of the best I have ever come across. Legitimately, he couldn’t do enough.
“But playing, he came in overweight. Basically, he had been on the Baa-Baas for three weeks and was working his way back into form, moving into back row. He was getting better every week.
“He was having a hell of a more effect on practice, his leadership was starting to come to the top and he was getting things simplified and cleaned up.
“His game against San Diego, our last game, was his best game. He was the best player on the field. He didn’t get man of the match but the stats spoke for themselves. He was definitely starting to find form.
"Your Fodens and all these other players…They kind of disappear into the background whereas this guy absolutely does not.”
– @rugbyunitedny founder talks about the impact of @BastaOfficiel with @heagneyl #FRAvENG #MLRugby 🇫🇷🇺🇸 https://t.co/asNSLRjYI3
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) February 2, 2020
“He was working really hard, training twice a day, five days a week with the team and then on his own with his own trainer. I feel bad for him, I really do. People jump on his back really quickly, especially in France, but he was really going in the right direction.
“You feel bad for him, you feel bad for Cathal Marsh, guys like that who are moving on. Some are hanging their boots up, Basta is going back to Lyon for two years. He has only just turned 31 so he might be back in a RUNY shirt in two years. His visa will allow him to if he wants, so let’s see.”
While most of RUNY’s international contingent headed for home as soon as the season was terminated, Bastareaud is hunkering down in New York where the coronavirus pandemic has now put the city into lockdown.
Ex-England international Ben Foden last week revealed on The Lockdown, the new RugbyPass video interview series, that Bastareaud had clashed with RUNY coach Greg McWilliams and skipper Dylan Fawsitt during his short time at the club.
“He is your typical Frenchman,” said Foden. “When things aren’t going well he moans a lot, he throws his arms a lot and things like that. He had run-ins with Greg, our coach, and Butch (Fawsitt), our captain.
“Bastareaud has played the game for a long time, played at the highest level, gone to World Cups, captained France. Obviously he has the calibre.
“So Butch sees this guy come in and thinks he’s going to reinvent the wheel, thinks he going to be a major force for us. Then in training he’s dropping the ball onto the foot, chipping it through, doing the typical French flair thing.
“Butch is like, ‘What’s this guy doing? He’s meant to be a straight trucking 12 or 13’. They just clashed.”
WATCH: RugbyPass goes behind the scenes at Rugby United New York with Ben Foden
Comments on RugbyPass
Who listens to this retard? He was a massive liability as a player but obviously a media sensation
40 Go to commentsI’m not surprised by such ‘virtue signalling’ by Sonny Boy. Butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth. He’s such a pious Islamic muppet, imo.
40 Go to commentsI’ve actually never heard of the guy (then I don’t watch League as it is boring). But if he is good enough.. then good luck to him. If not, well, he can always return to league.
2 Go to commentsIt is pretty clear that by almost any measure that NZ are a more successful rugby nation than South Africa. Quite aside from the distasteful events during the last RWC final. NZ lead SA in all significant measurements.
39 Go to commentsDickson went to his pocket for a card, saw who it was, changed his mind and spoke at length to TMO. One angle clearly shows Care diving over a Saints player to kill the ball. 1st yellow, reason given for not Red was player was falling backwards. He was only falling backwards after contact with Lawes. Graham try should have stood. Mitchell did not have both hands on the ball, ball went forward from a Saints boot dragging over it. 2 intentional knock-on's. One of which had an overlap on the outside. If Quins are happy to win by intentional foul play, then it does not say much for them. Would appear to be a bad day for Karl Dickson, also for the RFU in appointing a Ref who spent 8 years as a player at one of the clubs.
1 Go to commentsLet’s not forget about Ardie Savea just yet.
4 Go to commentsThe URC and the Euro Championscup can’t run at the same time, basically dilutes both competitions.
1 Go to comments“While Sotutu should start at No.8 for the All Blacks against England, but it’s only in that arena that he can prove just how good he really is.” And that my friends is where simply hasnt shone despite multiple opportunities. Even in this performance you can see what did him in in the test arena..he almost always still runs at the opposition almost ramrod upright making him easier to stop than it should be.
4 Go to commentsShould have been 0-0 and a message from SR CEO to both teams - “don’t worry about turning up next year”.
4 Go to commentsGreat work Owen Franks. A great of this team, scoring his first try for the Crusaders since 2010.He was beaming, justifiably. A fine win, he and the rest did the job up front.
1 Go to commentsDanny Care. Lang in die tand.
1 Go to commentsBig empty stadium does nothing for atmosphere but munster are playing well with solid performance
1 Go to commentsYes, Fiji can win the World Cup! With that belief plus their christian faith🙏 and hard work it is achievable. Great article. Ian Duncan Fiji resident 1981-84
2 Go to commentsInteresting comments about Touch. England’s hosting the Touch World Cup this year and the numbers have exploded since their last World Cup in 2019, something like 70% more teams and 40 nations taking part. And England Touch have made a big thing about how many universities are in their BUCS University Touch Championship as well as Sport England membership. Can only see this growing even more domestically as more people become aware of it
10 Go to comments“Cortez Ratima is light years ahead of anyone on current form, while TJ Perenara has also skyrocketed into contention following the unfortunate injury to the talented Cam Roigard.” At last some sanity. Hitherto so many pundits have been wittering on about Finlay Christie to the point one wondered if they were observing a FC in a parallel universe where the FC they saw wasnt just the mediocre Shayne Philpott project of Fosters hapless AB reign in the real world. Ratima, Perenara and Fakatava are the ONLY logical 9s for Razor now Roigard is crocked.
4 Go to commentsThis game was just as painful as the Hurricanes game. It was real fork-in-the-eye stuff.
4 Go to commentsNow if they could just fire the Crusaders ground PA guy who likes to play his dance music and just loves the sound of his own voice the entire game, even when play is going on. And I thought their brass band thing of a few years ago was bad.
5 Go to commentsUnfortunately when you lose by far the two form players this season in Roigard and Aumua, you're left replacing two game changing Tanks with a couple of pea-shooters. Which is also about the speed of TJs pass.
4 Go to commentsBit rich coming from the guy with zero loyalty to anyone or any team, including happily taking a players place in a league world cup squad because well, SBW wanted to play in it and thus an already named player got told he was no longer going. And airing stuff like this, which may or may not be true, doesn't exactly say you're a stand up guy either SBW. Just looking to keep his name in lights as usual.
40 Go to commentsTamati Tua. …the Taniwha NPC midfielder. Ollie Sapsford, Hawkes Bay NPC midfielder…doing well
4 Go to comments