Rugby videos of tackles, tries, funny incidents and more: Mathieu Bastareaud returns to action with two big tackles

Monday, August 24, 2009

Mathieu Bastareaud returns to action with two big tackles

Stade Francais centre Mathieu Bastareaud returned to action last weekend in the Top 14, playing for the first time since the New Zealand tour drama with France.

The 21 year old had a troubled few months after he lied about being mugged while on tour in New Zealand, resulting in him being sent home and the truth later being revealed following an admission that he actually just fell over when drunk.

He is now facing the possibility of a lengthy international ban, between one to three years, which will be decided on by the French Rugby Federation next month.

French team mate Thierry Dusautoir is pleading for leniency stating that he feels the young man has been sufficiently punished already.

“If he lied, I think he has been sufficiently punished for that,” he said. “This affair has been taken out of proportion. It would be good that we left it there.”

“I also think that in saying what he said, he was far from imagining the consequences of this lie and that he was taken over by the events,” said Dusautoir.

He returned to action last weekend coming on as a substitute against Toulon in the opening round of the French championship, the Top 14.

He made a few bullocking runs and put in a great tackle on Sinoti Sinoti. Against Bayonne on Friday, Bastareaud once again got stuck in, coming on as a sub and dumping Craig Gower.

Whether Bastareaud plays for France again in the near future or not remains to be seen.

When you consider that players who take drugs get 9 months, those who stick fingers in eyes get 8 months, and those who blatantly cheat end up with 4 months, a lengthy ban for telling a lie, off the field, seems pretty harsh.

Time: 01:32

crappy comentators

By Anonymous, at August 24, 2009 11:26 am
commentators*

By Anonymous, at August 24, 2009 11:26 am
"When you consider that players who take drugs get 9 months, those who stick fingers in eyes get 8 months, and those who blatantly cheat end up with 4 months, a lengthy ban for telling a lie, off the field, seems pretty harsh."

i completly agree with that, when u see these "bloodgate", cocaine addicts or furious eye-gouging "ON THE FIELD" are poorly punished...

u can be surprised that FFF will severely punished a young guy for a childy mistake...

will see

By Flooz, at August 24, 2009 11:27 am
awesome power especially the second hit on gower

By Kenny, at August 24, 2009 11:40 am
WTF was that commentary?

By Anonymous, at August 24, 2009 12:07 pm
it was made such a big deal of because of New Zealand hosting the next world cup right??

true it is harsh

By B, at August 24, 2009 12:07 pm
"light as a feather ... strong as an ox"
someone call the cliche cops!

By dr, at August 24, 2009 12:32 pm
that second tackle was a spear

By Unknown, at August 24, 2009 12:51 pm
According to the rumours which run, Bastareaud will never be appointed on a permanent basis for the RWC in New Zealand

By Anonymous, at August 24, 2009 1:12 pm
Ross, it wasn't a spear: at no point does Gower go above horizontal, and Basteraud brings him down, rather than drives him down onto his head. It's a great tackle.

Shocking commentary, but I noticed that there was a Eurosport logo on th highlights clip - I thought ESPN had coverage of the French Top 14? If someone could help enlighten me as to whether Eurosport also broadcast the games, like last year, that would be great, as it means I could actually watch them!

By Peej, at August 24, 2009 1:36 pm
Never in Johnny Wilkinson's entire life has he been refered to as 'Wilki'.

It is bad commentary but you've got to feel for them.....

pretty sure that the 1 main guy commentates on pretty much every sport that the channel shows.

By Inside Shoulder, at August 24, 2009 2:10 pm
Who is this commentator? (the English one)

There was a clip with him on RD recently. He is completely RUBBISH.

"You know, Wilkie, when he's on form is the perfect fly-half."

Wilkie?! Who has ever called him that??? Nobody who knows anything about rugby would ever refer to him as that.

Also, since when has anybody ever believed Jonny to be "the perfect fly-half." One of the all-time great 10s but his limited running game means he can never be described as "perfect."

Thanks for the clip RD.

By Anonymous, at August 24, 2009 2:31 pm
Does anybody know the guy's name?

Time to name and shame!

By Anonymous, at August 24, 2009 2:36 pm
The commentator is awful. He must be Miles Harrison's son or have some other "jobs for the boys" or "old school tie" in.

By Anonymous, at August 24, 2009 2:47 pm
It's Robbie Nock.. and yeah, he does seem to do every sport that Eurosport get.

Peej, I think they're showing the fri night games, as they did last season.

By Greiffel, at August 24, 2009 4:20 pm
I think Mr. Nock is good. He even came up with a new nickname for Wilkinson. How many other commentators can say the same?

By Anonymous, at August 24, 2009 4:27 pm
Lol I geuninely laughed out loud when I heard that commentator again. Infact to be fair it's both of them - it's the fact that they both know nothing yet agree with anything the other says. Add the fact that no matter what is happening during the game they'll begin talking about a player who maybe touches the ball and 5 minutes later they're still talking about him, ignoring the actual rugby....

I feel harsh being that this is the second time I've slammed them (pause) but they literally ruin the footage! Like I said before French commentary >>>>> these guys

By Anonymous, at August 24, 2009 4:54 pm
Would have to agree with Ross James...definitely a "Dip-Tackle" as the IRB now referes to them as. If you watch carefully, Gowers legs DO go beyond horizontal and yes he is driven to the ground onto his shoulder/head. If it was well spotted by the referee, in accordance with the IRB ruling this is a straight Red card offence.

By Anonymous, at August 24, 2009 5:00 pm
Thank god you're not the ref, then, anonymous. You'd be handing out the reds all night and ruining the game.

By tippa, at August 24, 2009 6:33 pm
Makes a big tackle then penalized for not rolling away.

By exactly, at August 24, 2009 10:09 pm
Would be shame if he didn't get to play for France, he had a blinder against Wales in the 6 nations.

By Anonymous, at August 24, 2009 10:45 pm
He screwed up, but dont we all at 20?

Let the boy play - I'm sure he has learnt his lesson.

By Anonymous, at August 24, 2009 10:48 pm
The ban's fine. You can'y expext to go out on tour, get drunk, waste yourself and self-damage and expect to get away with it. The same NZ prime minister offered public apologies, and he must feel like a fool now. Can't wait for Bastareaud to go into a NZ pitch again, they will eat him alive. Ban him for 2 years.

By Joost, at August 25, 2009 12:44 am
That's not a spear, I also thank god you're not a ref anon.
It's just a good tackle.
Far too much obsession with finding penalties in rugby these days, it's like some people just want to sanitiser the game.

By Jimmy, at August 25, 2009 5:43 am
Telling a lie is one thing, but wrapping a lie up to make is sound like you are attacked because of your nationality is much more serious than just a lie.

2 years would be fair.

By Anonymous, at August 25, 2009 6:24 am
"Ban him for 2 years."

It sounds like you certainly CAN wait for him to get on a NZ pitch again, Joost.

2 years...for fuck's sake. That's ridiculous.

By phio, at August 25, 2009 7:32 am
Glad to see this guys gone back to enjoy the game.

The dude screwed up and lied about it but it ain't that bad.

It was thankfully a minority, but there were people in the media acting as if he took a dump on the French flag or something.

By Anonymous, at August 25, 2009 7:44 am
2 years is entirely fair.

He severely damaged my country's reputation as a rugby playing nation. Claimed Maoris beat him up! Ha, Maoris only beat up other New Zealanders - sadly for the same reason normally. NOTHING!

By Anonymous, at August 25, 2009 10:42 am
Will this matter two months from now? or even a month from now? Has it affected anyone's reputation other than Basteraud's?

NO!!!!!

Give the kid a break make it a year MAX, he'll have suffered enough. Are people willing to be sympathetic to a brash young man or not?! I feel for him lets all just forgive and forget, move on with a year long ban at most, and enjoy watching play for France in future. Think about the game here, unlike the IRB who give world cups to hosts such as England and NZ!!!!!!

By Alex, at August 25, 2009 12:57 pm
The mistake by Bastareaud was indeed severe, and caused quite the calamity in New Zealand, but if you were 20 years old on your first international tour and something similar happened to you, of course you'd come up with a lie and hope it went away. Sadly he's gotten bitten by this one, and now we know the truth. But to think that banning him for 2 years is a necessity would be wrong. He's suffered publicly for this, and he will never make such a mistake again. Cut the kid some slack, he's going to be a brilliant international if France wants him to be

By Gongshow, at August 28, 2009 8:24 pm
(coming from a kiwi) that kids been through enough, he made a mistake and should be forgiven.
Great player too (when he gets involved).

By nicko, at November 25, 2009 11:08 pm