Police narrow search in French player attack

Reuters

ATTACKED: Mathieu Bastareaud, dubbed the "French Nonu" by the All Blacks, was attacked at a taxi rank in central Wellington.

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Police investigating the assault on a French rugby player at the weekend say they have identified the two women sought in connection with the incident.

Twenty-year-old French centre Mathieu Bastareaud has returned to France after he was allegedly attacked by four or five assailants as he returned to his hotel following the All Blacks win in Wellington on Sunday.

Wellington area commander Inspector Pete Cowan told Stuff.co.nz the women had been identified and police would be speaking with them today.

Police appealed for the pair to come forward after they were seen in CCTV footage at the hotel with three members of the French team.

Inspector Cowan said they had identified the three French players in the footage but refused to say whether or not Bastareaud was one of them.

"All I can say is that what we're trying to do is establish the facts surrounding this incident and we're interested in the activities of a group that arrived at the hotel at 5.22 on Sunday morning and that group was three French rugby players and two females."

He said they had narrowed their investigation after visiting a number of city bars and were concentrating on the Holiday Inn, where the team was staying, and the areas around the hotel.

Police also believe there may have been another group of guests that arrived at the motel at around the same time the French players and two women returned, and they appealed for them to come forward.

"We're also still appealing for the two taxi drivers that we believe dropped off people in around the Holiday Inn at that time," Inspector Cowan said.

Anyone with information should contact police on 04 381 2000.

- © Fairfax NZ News