France's big Bastareaud ready for All Blacks

BY TOBY ROBSON

Mathieu Bastareaud finally gets his chance to play against the All Blacks.

The All Blacks backs have dubbed him "The French Nonu".

Mathieu Bastareaud bucks the stereotype. French backs are supposed to be lean, flight of foot and sleight of hand.

Bastareaud is a 111kg, 1.83m ball of muscle. He looks like a prop. He runs like a locomotive. He is 20, has dreadlocks, dark skin and massive thighs.

His family is from Guadeloupe, but he was born in Paris and plies his trade for Stade Francais.

He has been one of the stars of the French Top 14 and tribute videos on YouTube are testament to a growing cult following.

Since his test debut against Wales in this year's Six Nations, Bastareaud's enduring image has been his flattening tackle on Wales centre Jamie Roberts.

Former French wing Christophe Dominici once compared him to comic book hero Obelix, saying: "He fell into the cauldron of magic potion when young."

Dominici and former Arsenal football captain William Gallas, Bastereaud's cousin and boyhood hero, are the two men he turns to for advice.

He has long been considered an exciting talent, selected as an 18-year-old in the French tour squad to New Zealand in 2007, only to pull out with a knee injury.

Two years later he has arrived on southern shores, and though he is under the radar for most All Blacks fans, Bastareaud's rising stock has not gone unnoticed by the man he has been compared to.

"I've watched his clips," All Blacks second-five Ma'a Nonu said yesterday when recalling the Frenchman's destruction of Harlequins in last year's Heineken Cup.

"I watched that game and remember it vividly.

"I think it was after our end of year tour. Mark Gasnier was playing and that guy Bastareaud.

"Man, he's a good footballer. You would mistake him for a Kiwi player the way he plays. Maybe he's been watching a few people from over here, the likes of Tana Umaga, because he's one of those busty players, more like you would see in Wellington or Auckland ... a centre that runs straight and wants to be feisty.

"He hits hard and hits anything he sees."

Nonu said the French were not a mystery to him as he had become a keen follower of the Top 14 since former Wellington and All Blacks team-mates Umaga and Jerry Collins moved to Toulon.

"What people here don't realise is they think when the All Blacks are playing France, they see who is playing and think they are nobodies. If they did their study they would see they are very good players."

Bastareaud's rise started in the lower divisions of French rugby with Massy where he came through the junior academy and played in the third division.

After two seasons Stade Francais came knocking and current national coach Marc Lievremont called him into his Six Nations squad this year where he played against Wales, Italy and England.

Now he has a chance to further his claims, selected to start at centre against New Zealand ahead of Yannick Yauzion.

- © Fairfax NZ News