Share

Bastareaud keen to repay Brunel faith v Italy

Marseille - Mathieu Bastareaud knows he's been given a few chances in his life and at the age of 29 the burly centre has no intention of letting this one go. 

It's been a bumpy road for Bastareaud in a France shirt at times, going right back to his breakthrough year in 2009. 

But having seemingly been banished and forgotten following France's humiliating 2015 World Cup quarter-final thrashing by New Zealand, the hard-running midfielder is back and has Italy in his sights ahead of Friday night's Six Nations clash in Marseille. 

And even the uncouth indiscretion of aiming a homophobic slur at Treviso's Sebastian Negri - who he will face again on Friday - last month in a European Champions Cup match, earning a three-week ban, has not stopped Bastareaud continuing his international career. 

"Nothing's changed. Under Guy (Noves) I came from a long, long way back to in the end play in his last matches," said Bastareaud. 

"Now, who knows if that situation won't be reversed with Jacques (Brunel)." 

Following the World Cup, Bastareaud spent two years in the international wilderness as Noves looked elsewhere, eventually settling on a centre pairing of Gael Fickou and Remi Lamerat. 

But he was recalled in November and then again in January once Brunel had replaced Noves. 

He perhaps wouldn't be lining up for France against Italy were it not for Lamerat being one of eight France players suspended by their own federation over a controversial late-night drinking session following their defeat to Scotland two weeks ago. 

But Bastareaud is back, nonetheless. 

"The French team belongs to no-one," said Bastareaud. "I've lived it: I've come back after a two-year absence. 

"There's a lot of movement... Beyond that, there's a huge mark of faith that I need to repay." 

He's had to do that before, too, notably after being sent home from France's 2009 tour to New Zealand for lying about being mugged when in fact he'd suffered a facial injury falling over drunk in his hotel room. 

He's also had to force his way back in following a long absence previously, having had to wait three years between his ninth and 10th caps. 

With 42 caps to his name now, Bastareaud will be the most experienced player in the France backline. 

And he is one of the few survivors from the France team that claimed the Six Nations Grand Slam in 2010. 

But Bastareaud's return can very much be looked at through the prism of France's current malaise - their best tournament finish since 2010 was third last year. 

In his younger days he was a potent weapon as a crash-ball centre. 

Built like a brick outhouse but with a turn of pace, he would launch himself at much lighter centres, sucking in extra cover and creating space for others in the next phase. 

But now, his waistline has grown and his pace disappeared. 

On France's official federation website, he's listed as 126kg - the heaviest player in France's starting line-up on Friday night - he wouldn't look out of place in the frontrow. 

France have won just three of their last 15 matches while Italy have tasted success only once in 14 encounters. 

In fact, Italy will set a new record for themselves of 15 consecutive Six Nations defeats if they lose. 

Both sides have lost their opening two games of this year's Six Nations but while France's were close, Italy have already leaked more than 100 points. 

Their Irish coach Conor O'Shea has come to France with limited ambition. 

"I hope we'll offer ourselves and our fans a performance we can all be proud of," he said.

Teams:



France


15 Hugo Bonneval, 14 Benjamin Fall, 13 Mathieu Bastareaud, 12 Geoffrey Doumayrou, 11 Remy Grosso, 10 Lionel Beauxis, 9 Maxime Machenaud, 8 Marco Tauleigne, 7 Yacouba Camara, 6 Wenceslas Lauret, 5 Sebastien Vahaamahina, 4 Paul Gabrillagues, 3 Rabah Slimani, 2 Guilhelm Guirado (captain), 1 Jefferson Poirot


Substitutes: 16 Adrien Pelisse, 17 Dany Priso, 18 Cedate Gomes Sa, 19 Romain Taofifenua, 20 Kelian Galletier, 21 Baptiste Couilloud, 22 Francois Trinh-Duc, 23 Gael Fickou


Italy


15 Matteo Minozzi, 14 Tommaso Benvenuti, 13 Tommaso Boni, 12 Tommaso Castello, 11 Mattia Bellini, 10 Tommaso Allan, 9 Marcello Violi, 8 Sergio Parisse (captain), 7 Maxime Mbanda, 6 Sebastian Negri, 5 Dean Budd, 4 Alessandro Zanni, 3 Simone Ferrari, 2 Leonardo Ghiraldini, 1 Andrea Lovotti


Substitutes: 16 Luca Bigi, 17 Nicola Quaglio, 18 Tiziano Pasquali, 19 George Biagi, 20 Federico Ruzza, 21 Edoardo Gori, 22 Carlo Canna, 23 Jayden Hayward

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
26% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1470 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2249 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE