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It's now official... Bastareaud is back in the Top 14 at Lyon

By Liam Heagney
(Photo by Stuart Walmsley/Getty Images)

French title contenders Lyon have confirmed the early April RugbyPass story that Mathieu Bastareaud is joining them on a two-year deal from Rugby United New York. It was April 1 when it was first reported that instead of staying on in America, the ex-France midfielder would be heading back to the Top 14.

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Ambitious Lyon have now officially admitted he is indeed a new signing and is poised to return to a club he fleetingly played for at No8 on a short-term basis in the early months of the 2019/20 season. 

Bastareaud detoured to Lyon after he was left out of the France squad for the World Cup in France, bringing the curtain down on his 54-cap Test career. His plan for 2020 was to play the Major League season with New York, but that campaign ended prematurely after just five rounds of matches due to the coronavirus outbreak.

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How RugbyPass exclusively reported that the Frenchman was signing for Lyon on a two-year deal

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How RugbyPass exclusively reported that the Frenchman was signing for Lyon on a two-year deal

The American club had hoped Bastaruead would consider staying on and playing with them in 2021, but the 31-year-old informed them he wanted to give the Top 14 another shot. In a tweet posted on Saturday, Lyon wrote: “Bastareaud is back! Mathieu Bastareaud is committed for two years starting this summer!”

James Kennedy, Rugby United New York’s majority owner, told RugbyPass some weeks ago: “He will be in Top 14, he has got a two-year contract with Lyon. He will be over there and will do well. 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 the 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. 

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His game against San Diego, our last game, was his best game. He was the best player on the field. He didn’t get the man of the match but the stats spoke for themselves. He was definitely starting to find form. 

“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.”

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Bull Shark 3 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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