Grand Slam Fail

The Greatest Cup Never Run

Innerestin' "virtual" promotion commemorating the 150th edition of the world's greatest horse race.

Here's the "race" footage:



Those Aussie experts know a "Go You Good Thing," with a pair of Kiwi immortals scooping the quinella.

Earlier: Profiles of all 24 entrants:

It's a clean sweep

IRB.com

New Zealand captain Richie McCaw has been named the International Rugby Board Player of the Year 2010 in association with Emirates Airline.

The 29-year-old flanker is the first player to receive the prestigious accolade three times, as well as in consecutive years, cementing his position as one of the greats of the Game.

The accolade completes a hat-trick of IRB Awards for New Zealand announced today, with the All Blacks named IRB Team of the Year 2010 in association with Emirates Airline and Graham Henry unveiled as IRB Coach of the Year for a record fourth time.

Henry has previously been named IRB Coach of the Year in 2005, 2006 and 2008 and New Zealand are named IRB Team of the Year for the fourth time in six years. [...]

The IRB Player of the Year Award is selected by the IRB Awards independent panel of judges, comprising former internationals with over 500 Test caps between them. Will Greenwood, Gavin Hastings, Raphaël Ibanez, Francois Pienaar, Agustín Pichot, Scott Quinnell, Tana Umaga, Paul Wallace and convenor John Eales watched over 78 hours of action from 59 matches, awarding points to the three players they thought stood out in each match.

“Rugby is fortunate to have a player and person of the calibre of Richie McCaw. He is an outstanding captain, a world class player and a role model for our sport. In winning the Award three times, Richie has truly cemented his place right up there amongst some of the greats,” said Eales. [...]

The accolades cap a phenomenal year for New Zealand Rugby with Julian Savea winning the IRB Junior Player of the Year in June and Carla Hohepa named IRB Women’s Personality of the Year in September after a magnificent Women’s Rugby World Cup.

Source.

Bernard-Henri Lévy with the All Blacks

French philosopher and writer Bernard-Henri Lévy attends the All Blacks vs. Ireland test match last Saturday, and reports.

An excerpt:

The cohesion of the players and of the game.

The religion of fellowship and fraternity.

Not to selfishly pocket the credit for having scored a last goal when it can be more profitable to harass the adversary together until the very end.

Inventive attacks and returns where everyone sticks together.

Vehement openings and dummy moves that look like a well-rehearsed ballet.
An ace at tripping here, and there a champion of outflanking on the sides, and between the two a complicity that, one easily guesses, was there before the game and will be there afterwards.

Who is the better attacker, the forward, the expert at half-turn contact, or the one from behind that no one (except the forward) saw coming?

Should one force his way or break off and relay to another in a pass so smooth and straightforward one would think it the action of one player--with four legs?

Should one change feet or change bodies outright, letting the next body play?

When Carter passes to Donnelly, you'd swear he has eyes in the back of his head to see him take the ball.

Nonu's last run, flying over the field before making that pass en cloche Carter would recover.

They say it's an obscure sport with no rules. No! The rules are strict and diabolically complex, to the extent that part of the All Blacks' strength comes from the way they play the rules, borderline with an error, but never actually stepping over the line.

They say it's a sport for brutes, all a question of power and attack. No! A combat sport, yes, one should call it a martial art, because it's composed of intelligence and strategy. And so it was that this Saturday, the fighting spirit of the Irish in the last fifteen minutes, when they had lost and they knew it, showed the very best of their gallantry. Thus in this manner, it was up to Carter, again, to size up the adversary and, like a judoka, cannibalize his weaknesses to transform them into power.

It's a violent, savage sport, others insist, because there's naked violence in the scrum, in the plaquage, or in the way the attacked team opposes the attacker with a wall of heads and chests. But does anyone know that the Haka, this Maori warrior hymn the All Blacks chant before the match, is less a victory chant than an anticipated prayer for the vanquished? Does anyone know that Saturday, the field of Dublin Stadium was the only place on the planet where Northern Irish and fans from the Republic could confront the same adversary, share the same prayer? And what a lesson when, as New Zealander Boric concentrated before the kick to mark the goal before converting the try, and the crowd of supporters observed a long silence--downright religious and uncommonly respectful--for those who are familiar with the hysteria of football!

And then, the «third half-time»....

This dinner after the match, when the players of the two nations gathered.

The toast of the captain of the All Blacks, to the Irish and their "beautiful game".

That of the Irish to the mysterious and persistant supremacy of the All Blacks.

And these tables where the winners and the vanquished joyfully replayed the match.

I watched O'Driscoll, the Irish captain, his arm injured, clinking glasses with his New Zealand counterpart.

I listened the New Zealander Woodcock and the Irishman Wallace telling each other of their real lives, the ones they would resume again next week, at home, when it would all be over.

And I thought to myself that Zidane's head-butt, his deep-rooted hatred for Materazzi, their overblown and even more dramatized reconciliation, would be almost impossible here.

Football and rugby are like Corneille and Racine, or the Stones and the Beatles, or a Mac and a PC. They are two different parties. Two religions. And one must choose between the two. For my part, I have made my choice. Today as yesterday, the style, the beauty, the fair-play of rugby.

Read the whole thing, click here.

Train Kept A Rollin'

The Irish Times reports from Dublin:

New Zealand remain a class apart with a hard-nosed focus that is occasionally camouflaged by the sheer exuberance of the way they play the game.

They scored some cracking tries and didn’t give anything up cheaply. [...]

Ireland were taught a rather painful lesson in the opening 40 minutes, ruthlessly punished for every error, whether unforced or induced by suffocating pressure. [...]

The self belief that permeates this New Zealand side is tangible because at times they were stretched to breaking point but even when they did concede points, they marched straight back up the pitch and redressed the situation on the scoreboard. The facility they possess to recycle ad nauseam and the patience they display in probing for weaknesses, using the full expanse of the pitch illustrates a team that’s very comfortable in their patterns.

They trust one another and the patterns of play. [...]

In a 10-minute spell either side of half-time New Zealand scored three tries, a homily to using the full expanse of the pitch, offloading and being physically dominant in the collisions and running sumptuous trail lines.

Demonstrating New Zealand’s total rugby patterns and the facility of backs and forwards to interchange positions, the three tries were scored by forwards: Anthony Boric, replacement Sam Whitelock and Kieran Read. Carter’s three conversions were a thing of beauty. [...]

The All Blacks deserve credit for the manner in which they defended; the thundered into tackles. [...]

The visitors had a final sting for their hosts, Read’s second try 33 seconds from full-time demonstrating the ruthlessness, precision, handling and lines of running that make them so easy on the eye and such a brilliant team.

>The rest.

Cold eyed and clinical

Brendan Gallagher watches The Sonny Bill Show at Murrayfield:

"New Zealand played rugby from another planet ... sensational ... extraordinary, unstoppable ... irresistible black wave ... there was more ... the All Blacks went straight for the jugular ... ruthlessly exploited ... carnage ... shell-shocked ...rampant ... hitting the turbo ... It was magnificent to watch and utterly cold eyed and clinical."

You get the idea.

Touching tributes, too:

Mils Muliaina - A special moment for a special player who, along with New Zealand captain Richie McCaw, was equalling the legendary Sean Fitzpatrick’s All Blacks record of 92 Test appearances.

An extraordinary character Muliaina, not just in his skills and pace but the fact that he seems to have earned those 92 caps with a complete absence of fuss and fanfare. No player is more highly rated by his peers in world rugby yet outside of New Zealand the most accomplished fullback of the modern era rarely makes the headlines.

Source.

No Logo

Pinch me. Thank you to the Board, and thank-you to the taxpayers of Auckland.

You did the right thing.

NZ Herald:

Board passes up name bid

Eden Park's bosses passed up an opportunity to sell naming rights to the home of rugby - a sponsorship deal that could have covered most of the park's $40 million redevelopment shortfall.

They don't want to sell the name, saying people would be aghast if Eden Park was renamed after a corporate - but the decision means ratepayers must plug the gap.

The $256m park redevelopment has been funded by a number of partners, with the majority paid for by the Government. But the $40m shortfall has been picked up by Auckland City ratepayers. [...]

Source.

So You Think

Magnificent!

Back-to-back Cox Plate championships for the Kiwibred son of High Chaparral. As only a 4yo. In only his 10th race. Freak.

May his owners (Dato Tan Chin Nam & Tunku Ahmad Yahaya) be horse racing fans first-and-foremost. Forget about retirement to the stud farm for a few years yet, please. Let the public see a true champion. We beg you.

I'm seeing rumours about a possible run at the Melbourne Cup - and trainer Bart Cummings would surely love another Cup added to his Scotty Bowmanesque run - but stretching the pony out to two miles may be a couple bridges too far. Nevertheless, We the Horse-Racing Fans want to see him run a mile-and-a-quarter for a few more years, at least. And if you're thinking of taking him to Dubai or the Breeders Cup - by all means Do It! Show him off to the world.

Sandy Barbour: Ignorant wanker, or simply an asshole?

25 NCAA Championships.

Let's type that again:

TWENTY-FIVE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS!! And a program that pays for itself.

That's a program of athletic dominance that any varsity should be celebrating and shouting from their rooftops - and Ivory Towers.

But sadly, California Golden Bears Athletic Director Sandy Barbour wants to cut the program.

Cal rugby refuses to go quietly after termination of their program

One day after Cal cut five sports from its intercollegiate athletics menu, there was no surrender among those affected in rugby or baseball.

... Rugby coach Jack Clark went on the offensive Wednesday.

Clark, who has directed 21 of Cal's 25 national championship teams in the sport, said there is no reason the university needed to cut rugby, saying it's largely financially self-sufficient thanks to private donations.

He said he proposed to athletic director Sandy Barbour and the university administration adding a women's varsity rugby team, which would balance gender equity issues mandated by Title IX federal law.

More here.


And Nina Sasso writes a letter to Barbour.

Cal Rugby is paying the price for your incompetency and inability to comply with Title IX.

With your salary of over $470,000, you honestly can't come up with a more imaginative solution to Title IX compliance? Instead of targeting rugby, why not distribute the cut and implement a department-wide squad size reduction across all men's sports? Your uninspiring decision to eliminate rugby is a discredit to this university that values innovation.

This letter is a call for your accountability regarding the rationale behind cutting rugby. Terminating rugby under the guise of a budget cut is dishonest and deceitful.

Red Terror set to make triumphant return!

This blog has been dormant for, welll, quite a while. But it never intended to expire, nor has it!

A pile of art exhibits and film documentaries over the past year have been my priorities, and I haven't had time to view much rugby, let alone blog on it. (I did however watch the All Blacks steamroll the Tri-Nations in style, with more amazement watching my main man, the indefatiguable Brad Thorn.) I've also read every issue of NZ's Rugby News, albeit a month late, and not exactly fresh for blogging, so let's just say it's been a case of catch-up for quite some time.

Alas, I'm currently settling in to a new home, and re-organizing my life, and will be back at it momentarily. Expect blogging to be light at first, but will ramp up shortly thereafter.



Oh, and apologies to Mr. Brian Vizard at the USRFF and all the incredible work he is doing growing the sport in the United States. I have received regulat updates from him the past year and not found the time to post them here, but that too shall be rectified shortly. Keep at it, your hard work is not going unnoticed.

Tags: Rush, Anthem, Geddy lee, Alex Lifeson, Neil Peart

Quarantine the rot, before it's too late...

It's been ages since my last rugby update, but travel and work deadlines have meant rugby viewing has been tight, and mostly too tight to blog. In the past month the Pumas of Argentina received a preliminary green light into the Tri-Nations, and the Springboks kept their claws on all the major prizes by claiming that same tournaments' 2009 championship. Congrats to them. I'd say more, but thankfully, Peter Bills at The Independent (U.K.) said so much of what's on the minds of many rugby fans two weeks ago that his commentary is worth tip-toeing around copyright infringement and re-printing in full. Bold emphasis mine:

Rugby retreats into tedium

By Peter Bills
The Independent
Tuesday, 22 September 2009

Abe Lincoln, that well known sporting coach and occasional US President, knew a thing or two about how to draw a crowd and keep 'em coming back for more.

How else to explain Lincoln's immortal line, "It is true that you may fool all of the people some of the time, you can even fool some of the people all of the time; but you can't fool all of the people all of the time."

How rugby football needs to digest carefully those words at a time when the supporter's currency is in so much demand from a variety of sports. For inexorably, before our weary eyes at the very time when supreme entertainment ought to be of paramount importance the world over especially for television, rugby union is retreating, drawing back to the type of kicking fest that persuaded a whole cluster of international coaches, players and officials to ask the IRB to re-examine the laws back in 2002.

That was seven years ago and, apart from the odd tinkering such as allowing players to take quick throw-ins and using touch judges as assistant referees, nothing much has changed. The ELVs have come and gone, killed off by the votes of the northern hemisphere countries who refused even to trial the most relevant of them. There's democracy at work for you, but already, some who rubbished the ELVs are now complaining at the nonsense being served up. Sorry boys, you should have thought of that before you closed your eyes and minds to a different approach.

But if ever a weekend exemplified rugby's growing problem of boring, penalty ridden matches and mindless kicking dictating and deciding games, it was this last one.

Much of the 2009 Tri-Nations, which concluded this last weekend, has been one long boring boot-in. The South Africans, undeniably the No 1 team in the world, used their formidable power chiefly to bludgeon the opposition into submission. Only in Perth, where they used the ball to attack a makeshift Australian back line, did they deign to expand their play. Otherwise, Morne Steyn, their fly half, kicked the bejaysus out of the ball and used their heavyweight pack to set up victories.

In England this last weekend, they opened a sparkling new stand at Leicester and drew the corporates in by the thousands. Alas, those who are new to rugby tend to lose interest at incessant goal kicking. 15-6 to Leicester over Newcastle, five penalties to two, which meant the English champions have now not scored a single try in over four hours of serious play.

This is not an exact science but in France, it was equally grim. Brive 12 Biarritz 15 (four penalties to four penalties and a drop goal), Castres 9 Racing Metro 6 (three penalties to two). In the modern game, defences reign, kicking decides.

In Marseilles on Sunday, in perfect conditions of warm sunshine and inviting surface, Toulouse chose a back line potentially without peer in contemporary world rugby for its speed and innovation: M Medard; V Clerc, F Fritz, Y Jauzion, C Heymans; F Michalak, J-P Elissalde.

Yet the biggest thrill for an alarming number of the 48,000 present was apparently to participate in the mindless Mexican wave. In one of the hospitality boxes, I noticed people's concentration steadily dissipating as Jonny Wilkinson lined up eight attempts at goal. He succeeded with six, three penalties and three drop goals, to win the game for his team, 18-13.

The match was virtually one long, grim act of trench warfare up front, most of it understood by only the specialists. What is this offering the so-called new audience the game is targetting?

The only decent rugby I saw the whole weekend was New Zealand's 15-man style which overwhelmed Australia in the last Tri-Nations game of the year. Forward power was used not as a means to an end but to expose physically overwhelmed opponents and service a back line freed up to attack hard, run straight and offer genuine entertainment.

Conversely, two examples from soccer are rather more than coincidental. At Marseilles on Saturday night, Olympique Marseille beat Montpellier 4-2 in a pulsating French League match. And in Manchester 24 hours later, United and City played out an English Premiership game that had entertainment dripping like rain from the rooftops.

Rugby union is approaching a crossroads here. It can either retreat into its specialist shell, as it appears to be doing, and say in effect to the floating punter, "If you don’t like our product, go elsewhere". Or it can continue to believe that those who currently fill so many of its grounds will always do so, no matter the fact that in reality, what they are being offered apart from the experience of the actual occasion, is a game of mind-numbing boredom. Either option is madness because a third factor will decide rugby's fate: television.

In France, TV executives are said to be dismayed by most of the rugby offered up. Canal Plus cameras have visited Brive three times thus far this season without seeing the home team score a single try. Expect viewing figures to start reflecting this poor fare sooner rather than later.

And when, not if, the great TV master begins to reduce his financial largesse, then predictably the professional game will hit most unpleasant turbulence.

Right now, with grounds full of people, rugby is in vogue and getting away with it. But the game is living a lie. There are, of course, occasional exceptions but too often, it is offering poor value entertainment. Yet when played at its best, with an attacking creed, pace and dynamism, it remains one of the best sports to watch.

You sense someone, somewhere in authority, had pretty soon better begin to start concerning themselves with this. Because the truth of Lincoln's words still hold good all these years later.

Source.

John Peel in Dallas

John Peel died five years ago, much too young. He would have been 70 years old on August 30th. I've been away a couple weeks hiking in the wilderness of Nova Scotia, so missed the anniversary. Earlier me and my pal Sean cobbled together a short film tribute, inspired by a JFK conspiracy hobbyist who was tracking down a lead about Peel attending Lee Harvey Oswald's midnight press conference on that fateful day in 1963. I interviewed Peel back in 1996 and got him talking about the experience, and that audio narrative informs the film and the clips we co-opted, borrowed, stole. So in the spirit of guerilla-style pirate radio from Peel's early days, here 'tis, enjoy!


Thanks to S.E., S.S. and J.C.

More here.

State of the Union

I've been ridiculously busy with assignments & deadlines the past few months, far too many commitments and not enough time to sleep, so the blog has been sadly neglected of late. Things won't get better soon, 'cos I am now going bush for the next couple weeks to get some well-earned R&R. Normal blogging should (hopefully) resume when I return. Luckily for me, the quality of the rugby I've been watching hasn't been worth spending time writing about. It's been mostly rubbish.

Ex-Wallaby Pete Fitzsimmons is a straight-shooter.

. . . What you may not know, however, inside the cocoon that teams go into before big matches, is the rising damp of disillusionment that is eating at our passion for elite rugby.

We have had a gutful of watching marathon kick-fests, of seeing captains toss the ball to goal-kickers when arcane penalties are awarded 53 metres out. Of watching for two excruciating minutes the deadly dull vision of one bloke lining up and kicking the pig-skin while 29 blokes stand around, no doubt as bored as we are. And doing it all game - again and again and again.

In general play we no longer want to see two tactics - the "up" and the "under". We despair when teams take kicking tips from the Swans. This season there has been more wretched kicking than ever. It is getting to the point where even hard-core fans are turning their cauliflower ears and puffy eyes away in disgust.

But, say what? You players are professionals who play as ruthlessly as possible to win - everything else can go to hell?

That would be fine, 'cept we are the paying public who ultimately provide your wages. If the disillusionment continues, that is exactly where the game will go.

Yes, we know the Springboks have made an art form of winning in this way. But that's the point. The Wallabies and All Blacks are better than that! In bursts this year, you've turned on scintillating running rugby that has thrilled us for minutes at a time. You're capable of playing a Match for the Ages, with stories we will tell and retell as the days grow cold and we grow old. Like it used to be …

So here's the plea. In rugby's ancient history, which is to say before it turned professional in 1995, teams could sometimes enter into unofficial compacts, whereby it would be broadly agreed the game was the thing and running rugby was the most joyous way to play and exactly what the crowd wanted. The glory of the whole Barbarians tradition rests upon it.

Can't you, just maybe, revive that compact tonight? For the good of the game?

It can't work if only one team embraces it. But if you both engage to play the game the way it was meant to be played - to run it - you'll be knocked out by the reception. We'll know whether you're up for it the first time a penalty is awarded 50 metres out. I say 80,000 people, and millions at home, will cheer or jeer the decision. So run the ball as if the future of the game depends on it. Because it does.

Source.

Advantage: NZ

Tri Nations news . . .

All Blacks come from behind to beat the Wallabies 22-16 and keep one hand on the Bledisloe.

IRB unveils new Americas tournament; October final in Toronto

[Updated below.]

IRB unveils new Americas tournament


15th July 2009

The ARC is a key component of the IRB's Strategic Investment Programme, which includes significant investment in USA, Canada and Argentina.

The new tournament features six teams, including four provincial sides from Canada joined by the Argentina Jaguars and USA 'A'.

The format unites Rugby in North and South America in a high performance sub-international structure for the first time.

"The Americas Rugby Championship is a huge step forward for elite Rugby in North and South America," said Mark Egan, IRB Head of Development and Performance.

"Canada, USA and Argentina are priority Unions for our High Performance investment programme and their domestic based players and coaches require a tournament format that exposes them to high level cross border competition on a more regular basis."

"The tournament is currently structured to primarily focus on our High Performance Unions in the Region, however, it is hoped that it will expand over time to include other countries such as Uruguay, Chile, Mexico and Brazil."

Canadian Regional teams Atlantic, Ontario, Prairies and British Columbia will re-ignite traditional rivalries in a round robin pool taking place in September. The top four will qualify for the semi-finals held on October 10, with the finals taking place on October 17 in Toronto.

"The ARC competition is key to developing the link between our domestic rugby structure and our national team program. The competition will provide our domestic based athletes with high performance structures and competition pathways that will be used to strengthen our domestic player base on a annualized basis," said Graham Brown, Rugby Canada Chief Executive Officer.

Nigel Melville, USA Rugby Chief Executive, said: "The ARC will provide Eagles head coach Eddie O'Sullivan and his coaches with an opportunity to observe and work with domestically based potential Eagles players prior to the important November international window. The introduction of Argentina and possible expansion to include other teams in the future is an exciting expansion of our cross border aspirations for the event."

Source.

I'm not sure how this impacts Argentina's long-rumoured foray into Sanzar competitions, but I've been urging the IRB to get North & South America into some sort of regular competition for the past decade.

Kinda weird how it's four teams from Canada and only one from each of the USA and Argentina, however. I would have believed the Argies were well in advance of Canada, and USA at a similar level to Canada. Will have to wait and see how it transpires.

I'm also puzzled about the calendar. A final in Toronto in the latter half of October is a nail biter. Snow typically doesn't come that way until late-November or December, but it's snowed in late October there before, and regardless will have a chill in the air. That's why Canada usually had it's international test program during the summer months of June to August.

It will be cool to see it expand to additional South American nations, as outlined.

Update:

The above report comes directly from the IRB, and it's piss-poor confusion. I've been seeking clarification, but none forthcoming so far. I am guessing that USA 'A" and Argie Jags get automatic berths into the final 4, and the four Canadian teams do a round-robin to determine their two qualifiers. I'm guessing the Americans and Jags contest one semi, to gurantee a Canadian finalist. If that's the case, then the Canadian finalist will have played four matches to qualify, and the other finalist possibly just a single game (?). I dunno, your guess is as good as mine.

2009 Tri-Nations Championship countdown . . .

This year's Tri-Nations tournament kicks off Saturday (wee hours of the morning up here) at Eden Park, where the upstart Australia Wallabies meet the defending champion hosts New Zealand All Blacks.

Bartman at The Silver Fern examines the history, and looks for portends:

Tri Nations train spotting


Tri Nations time, and it's been around for a while now, since 1996 in fact, so lets have a look at t a few of the fact and figures since its inception last century.
AS we all know, the All Blacks have been dominant over the 13 series so far. And we'll dwell on this fact for a while, as this season could be an aberration, and the trophy might get carried off to foreign shores... But we won't dwell on that too long, the foreign shores thing. Lets instead look at the 9 series wins from 13 starts for the All Blacks!!

[...]

So what do all these facts and figures tell us leading into the 2009 series? Basically, Didly squat! It does tell us though that during the reign of King Henry the All Blacks have been pretty hard to beat at Tri Nations time, Australia are always the bridesmaids, the the Boers, it's all or nothing!!

Read the whole thing!

Canada into All Blacks pool RWC 2011

Last Saturday, July 4th Independence Day, Canada fell to USA in World Cup qualifying, played in 100 degree heat in the welter of a humid South Carolina summer, by a score of 12-6.

That test was carried on ESPN until half-time, when the murder of ex-Titans quarterback Steve McNair broke and became their main priority, and the test match got bumped to ESPN2. TSN in Canada, carrying the qualifier for free, televised the whole test, their first rugby broadcast on that network in probably a decade.

The winner of the RWC Americas 1 qualifier would be comprised of a cumulative (or as the soccer folk say, "aggregate") score over a two-test home-and-away series.

The rubber match was yesterday in Edmonton, and Canada not only had to win, they had to win by at least six points to cover their defecit.

(Sadly, the ball got dropped, and neither ESPN or TSN, nor any other networks, picked up the return rubber-match played in Edmonton for broadcast. Some of us tried to view via a live stream of the match, but the audio-video quality was dodgy, to say the least.)

The uptick is that Canada pulled off the comeback, and has now qualified for RWC 2011, and will be slotted into Pool A, along with powerhouse France and the superpower tournament host New Zealand All Blacks.

Canadian coach Kieran Crowley will doubtlessly feel chuffed this morning. The former All Black played a test match for the inaugural RWC in 1987, also hosted in NZ,. and the All Blacks only RWC championship title. Crowley almost certainly wanted to bring his new team back home, and play against the host side. Hopefully it will also provide a Canadian media boost for the tournament.

The United States, meanwhile, need to ice their bruises and get ready for another elimination qualifier to secure the Americas 2 slot, and will face a torrid time from the improving Uruguay.

Canada make the World Cup

July 12, 2009

Canada has become the first nation to qualify for Rugby World Cup 2011 through the qualifying rounds, beating the USA 41-18 on Saturday.

The hosts had gone into the second leg in Edmonton needing to overturn a six-point deficit after losing the first encounter 12-6 in Charleston last weekend.

Canada's emphatic win at Ellerslie Rugby Park gave them an 47-30 aggregate victory and a place in Pool A with New Zealand, France and Tonga as well as the Asia 1 qualifier - likely to be Japan.

The USA are not yet out of thr running; they face Uruguay over two matches to see who will join Australia, Ireland Italy and another European qualifier in Pool C.

The Canadians, who have played at every Rugby World Cup to date, had moved ahead on aggregate by the 25th minute with James Pritchard, who had already kicked a penalty, crossing for the opening try after some good work by the impressive centre DTH van der Merwe.

With Canada leading 10-0 after Pritchard added the conversion, things got worse for USA within a minute when centre Paul Emerick was sent off by referee Alan Lewis. The hosts made the most of their man advantage with Adam Kleeberger and Justin Mensah-Coker crossing for tries to make it 24-0 at half time.

The Eagles needed to score first if they were to have any hopes of salvaging an unlikely victory against a Canadian outfit playing an attacking brand of rugby. Hercus did just that with a 51st minute penalty, but that was cancelled out by a try from the hosts' scrum-half Ed Fairhurst.

Wing Kevin Swiryn crossed for the Eagles' first try just before the hour mark, a score converted by Hercus, and the fly-half then kicked a penalty to cut the deficit to 31-13 on the day - 37-25 on aggregate - but there was to be no comeback with Canada crossing for a fifth try within minutes.

Van der Merwe had been exploiting the space created by Emerick's sending off and creating opportunities for Canada and was finally rewarded for his impressive display when the centre crossed for his side's fifth try of the afternoon in the 69th minute.

Canada increased their advantage when wing Matt Evans touched down, before USA captain Todd Clever scored a consolation try five minutes from time. It was the Canadians and an excitable crowd of around 5,000 who were celebrating come the final whistle.

Source.

The Lone Gunman

It defies belief, but the FFR is washing their hands and passing the buck on l'Affaire Bastareud with an obvious cover-up to protect conspirators and blame it on a single man.

I am sure Laurent Bénézech will have more to say about this obvious smoke-screen (see previous posts).

Google translation:

The development of Pierre Camou

In an interview published by Midi Olympique, the president of the Federation reaffirms its support for the staff of Blue and announced that the Disciplinary Committee should punish the player.

As the father of Mathieu Bastareaud has proclaimed his anger in the press last week - including denying having cancer while the information was issued by the player himself to the doctor of the team of France - Pierre Camou is also emerged from his silence. Questioned about this at the conference of the Federation in Strasbourg last weekend, the president of the FFR, whose silence became heavy, has finally delivered his opinion on this matter in an interview published by Midi Olympique on Monday .

Annoyed by some questions on this lie became an affair of state after the apologies of the Prime Ministers of New Zealand and french, the successor to Bernard Lapasset strongly reaffirmed the continued Jo Maso at his post. Some spoke of a possible dismissal of manager of the French team, but Pierre Camou said he "was never in danger." If it concedes the lack of relevance of a night out between two tests, it vigorously defended his staff: "I say, I repeat and I repeat: everyone has fulfilled its role, ensures there. I want to reiterate that the players are professionals (...) The players are adults. You can not put a guard in front of each room. It is their responsibility. "

"There will obviously a sanction"

Mathieu Bastareaud should be the only one to pay the mess in this case. "The Disciplinary Committee has received, it will be independent in its investigation and then, proposals for possible sanctions", said the president of the FFR, as that "there is obviously a penalty, if only in relation to the injury of a people, an entire nation, had to endure." There are still no date fixed for the consideration of case of player who, moreover, is always placed in a clinic in the Paris area to rest.

"What worries me most is the health of the player," says Pierre Camou. A health condition which returned Max Guazzini in the Sunday issue Stage 2, providing further reassurance. But the president of the french stage once again threw the trouble on this matter very opaque in stating that "if (Bastareaud, NDLR) not telling the truth, perhaps because it protects people ... "The investigation requested by the President of the FFR is supposed to shed light on this matter." ...

Total farce.

Continuing & complete coverage of L'Affaire Bastareaud, click here.

Bloodhound Bénézech tracks the conspirators

Ex-France international test prop Laurent Bénézech continues his superlative sleuthing, and advises the young Mathieu Basteaud to come clean, tell the whole truth, stop protecting the guilty and co-conspirators, for the good of French rugby and his own mental health.

Excerpt (Google translation):

Mathieu Bastareaud: Why must now tell the truth!

2 July 2009

Mathieu Bastareaud is not only involved in the case Bastareaud!

If one follows the course of the versions of events given to the press and that we proceed by elimination, one can conclude that the attack on the young French center stage took place within the hotel and can not come from a clash on the night table of his room since the New Zealand Police found no trace of blood on the furniture. It appears therefore more and more obvious that the player was struck that, as a former rugby player and without, of course, an expert with the courts, seems the most plausible. Taking into account the player's body, the size of the cuts and bruises on his face, it seems obvious that he was struck by someone stout and strong enough to reach such a result. In any case, anything that does not resemble the passivity of furniture, even solid oak! Indeed, evidence is emerging: Mathieu Bastareaud, its fanciful versions protects her abuser!

And this is where things do not seem consistent. What interest Mathieu Bastareaud lying? He claimed to have done to protect his international career. But why, then, Mathieu Bastareaud not telling the truth as it is not aggressive aggressor? The only person to have committed a mistake at this point is that (or that, but it is unlikely given the result of impact) that hit the player in the face. Panicked because he claims Max Guazzini, uh ..., Mathieu Bastareaud pardon himself. But panic over what? In fact he was injured? But then the story of the night table was, at that time, perfect to avoid any further criticism than the awkwardness and alcoholic especially since the staff of the French team had given permission to players out, so drink, to be clumsy in returning. This is where nothing I want and where more and more difficult to believe that Mathieu Bastareaud was not alone at the time to build a lie to explain his injury!

Mathieu Bastareaud has no choice now!

If the young French center stage to avoid paying for others, he must now speak. It must give the true version of events. He must explain what happened before between 5:22 and 5:47, and secondly and more importantly, what happened from the time it was recousu by Dr. Hager. What risk there more? It is already condemned by the Federation and the Prime Minister of France. And if a few good friends advice him promise that his silence is the best way to avoid too heavy a sentence, Mathieu Bastareaud should know that this is wrong!

The young French center stage is now designated as guilty only by what he is all alone to take the lie of the alleged assault outside the hotel by New Zealand nationals. But now it is proven to have been assaulted inside the hotel and clear as it was by a natural person and not a piece of furniture, Mathieu Bastareaud can no longer be accused of having been the only one lying. There are at least one other person who knows the truth, his assailant. Plus, maybe, if we are going to be assumed that the first version of the facts, which seems many arrange french camp, has been blown by Mathieu Bastareaud others.

Why do I pretend that the first version arrange many french camp? Simply because if the player was attacked inside the hotel, he could not have been, or by someone outside the French delegation, either by someone who is gone. If we accept the first option, why invent a version where the action took place outside the hotel when it happened in there? As against, if we accept the second option, this was a much more logical Mathieu Bastareaud was assaulted by a member of the French delegation, which gives an explanation for the clear starting to lie about the reasons for the injury to the face of the young Parisian.

The supervision of the French team in the secrecy of lies?

Obligatoirement, Mathieu Bastareaud and the assailant knew from the outset the facts! That is obvious. Them only? This is where I am taken to a huge doubt. I find it hard to believe that the aggressor, having placed his right (or left, once again I am not an expert with the courts) on the cheek of the player, has recouche as if nothing had happened . So I think it quickly sober by the consequences of his action, accompanied her partner to the room of Dr. Hager and thus, de facto, the now famous Dr. Jean-Philippe Hager knows the name of the abuser Mathieu Bastareaud And if Dr. Hager knows the name of the abuser from Mathieu Bastareaud, the same goes for the whole of the guidelines of the French team! So, logically, Mathieu Bastareaud could use the version of the attack outside the hotel with the blessing of the overall supervision of the French team. And when I say a blessing, I am compelled to ask whether it, as it would have us believe, Mathieu Bastareaud who is from the version or if, as is now possible, this version it was strongly suggested by promising that it would bury the case was not yet one.

When I say that I believe that the assailant with the victim, I have no certainty of course other than to think that whatever it is, the assailant had the presence of mind to worry the state of health of his partner to bring to the doctor's room. This is the normal behavior of a rugby player for one of our partners even if he is the cause of the injury. And that's what makes me think that Mathieu Bastareaud is only an instrument which has served a version of facts was to stifle what is supposed to be a case. The problem is that we came today to reverse the effect that the young French center stage must defend himself for not being the ideal sentenced to hide the huge gaps that this story reveals! MATHIEU, YOU MUST SAY THE TRUTH IS YOUR INTEREST ...

Continuing & complete coverage of L'Affaire Bastareaud, click here.

Tragique Bastareaud jumped in a river

The Times (UK) reports:

A France rugby international who sparked a diplomatic incident when he falsely claimed that he had been assaulted by New Zealand fans has been admitted to psychiatric care after reportedly throwing himself into the Seine.

Mathieu Bastareaud, 20, is said to have attempted suicide after telling friends he could not cope with the scandal that erupted when his lies were uncovered by police in New Zealand. The incident has become an embarrassment to French rugby authorities amid claims that they helped to cover up a hotel room fight between players and left Bastareaud to face the controversy on his own.

Bastareaud is a rare representative of France’s troubled suburban estates in a sport dominated by players from a white provincial background. This, his friends say, has exacerbated his mental fragility. “He sent me a text saying he couldn’t stand this harassment,” said Mathieu Blin, a team-mate at the club Stade Français. “Now he’s completely gone off the rails.”

French media reports said the rugby player told friends that he was suicidal after being sent home from France’s tour to New Zealand and Australia. LÉquipe, the sporting daily, said he jumped into the Seine at the weekend.

Complete coverage of L'Affaire Bastareaud, click here.

French PM writes letter of apology

Telegraph (UK) reports:

01 Jul 2009

Mathieu Bastareaud lie over assault prompts French Prime Minister to apologise

French Prime Minister Francois Fillon has written a letter of apology to his New Zealand equivalent, John Key, after France centre Mathieu Bastareaud admitted to lying about an assault in Wellington last month.

[...]

In his letter, Fillon told Key: "By his false statements, as a result of which you had to intervene publicly, he seriously tainted the image of your country and its people."

Fillon said that he "regretted this incident" and added: "Our two countries share the culture of rugby.

"This sport has always allowed us to meet and to share a mutual respect. I hope that these sentiments will continue after this regrettable affair."

Bastareaud meanwhile has been admitted to hospital with what has been reported as serious psychological problems after the worldwide interest into the incident affected his mental state.

The Stade Francais centre, who had been due to go on a family holiday to the Caribbean this week, is expected to stay in hospital for at least a fortnight under observation.

The 20-year-old, who made his debut for France last year, has been backed by the French players' union, Provale, who issued a statement saying: "We solemnly demand that the media storm which nurtures doubts and fantasies ends immediately. We want above all that his privacy be respected and we hope that he makes a return to the pitch as quickly as possible."

But French Rugby Federation (FRF) president Pierre Camou, was less forgiving and condemned Bastareaud's behaviour.

"To be an international carries with it responsibility as a representative of your country and your federation," a FRF statement read.

"The FRF is shocked that one of the French XV has lied. The New Zealand nation and the world of rugby can legitimately feel wounded by the player's initial statements which have also tarnished the image of French rugby."

Full coverage of L'Affaire Bastareaud, click here.

Green Revolution

Did you know they play rugby in Iran?



Womens rugby, too!

It's an Iranian Fact.

Suicide watch?

Did Mathieu Bastareaud try to commit suicide??

I haven't seen any confirmed news reports, and most of the English-language wire reports are not mentioning the words "attempted suicide."

Nevertheless, there is a distressing rumour at a French-language rugby blog at Le Monde. I don't know the accuracy of the post, and it seems unwise to speculate. Nevertheless, the worrisome rumours are coming out of France, and hard to dismiss.

Babelfish translation:

The spirit of the previous article dictated by the succession of true-false information about Mathieu Bastareaud and consequences of his third half-time after the Wellington test requires me to clarify that it was mailed to 12 pm today. At 17 hours, the announcement of the attempted suicide of the young man and casts a cold hospital on the case so far to say the least, bizarre. [...]

Original text:

L’esprit du précédent article dicté par la succession de vraies-fausses informations concernant Mathieu Bastareaud et les conséquences de sa troisième mi-temps après le test de Wellington m’oblige a préciser qu’il a été posté vers 12 heures ce jour. A 17 heures, l’annonce de la tentative de suicide du jeune homme et son hospitalisation jette un froid sur cette affaire jusque-là pour le moins rocambolesque. Il n’est plus question de mensonges, de défendre ou d’accabler un homme qui en arrive cette extrémité ni même d’ironiser sur ceux qui l’entourent en bien ou en mal. [...]

Source.

The saga has gone from criminal travesty, to laughable farce, to pitiable sympathy for the player in a matter of a week. It's not over, we still don't know the whole truth, and we don't know who to believe.

More French-language reports about an attempted suicide.

L'Equipe & Actualité et News.

Let's hope the guy pulls himself together and has a full recovery.

Full updated Bastareaud coverage, click here.

Institutionalized

Add another sad wrinkle to the on-going saga of Inglourious Bastareaud, Pulp Fiction (see thread & updates below).

French Rugby Club reports:

Bastareaud hospitalized after new allegations he was punched by team-mate

29 June 2009

Shamed France international Mathieu Bastareaud has been admitted to hospital with "severe psychological problems" in the latest twist of a tawdry affair that shows no signs of abating.

His hospitalization follows earlier media reports that the 20-year-old Stade Francais player had sustained his now infamous facial injuries after being punched by a teammate.

Max Guazzini, president of Bastareaud’s club Stade Francais, said the player had returned early from a Caribbean holiday and was now under medical supervision in a "specialized institution" in Paris. Guazzini said he was likely to remain in hospital for a fortnight and refused to give its exact location.

Guazzani blamed what appears to be some sort of mental breakdown on the "relentlessness of the press against a boy of twenty years. Journalists have gone to his home and that of his parents. It is completely destroyed, we must leave him alone," he told AFP.

The latest development is a further blow to both the player and to French rugby generally as a web of lies and half-truths slowly unravels.

Source.

Le Parisien says Mathieu Bastareaud 'punched by teammate'

L'affair Bastareaud keeps getting better - the gift that keeps on giving.

See earlier background post "Inglourious Bastareaud, Pulp Fiction" click here.

Paper claims Bastareaud 'punched by teammate'

French rugby international Mathieu Bastareaud was reportedly punched by one of his teammates, according to a Paris newspaper. ...

The French press are now airing another scenario.

How he sustained a cut cheek and facial bruising is the big question.

Two fellow players - named as Louis Picamoles and Fulgence Ouedraogo - may have played a part in the bizarre episode, newspapers suggest.

According to an internal investigation by the team, Picamoles and Ouedraogo came back to the Holiday Inn at 5.22am on June 21 in a taxi with two women, while Bastareaud arrived at the same time in a second taxi, news agency Agence France Presse reported.

"Drunk and aggressive, Bastareaud was reportedly calmed down by a fist from one of his teammates," according to an account sketched by the daily Le Parisien. It also quoted Picamoles and Ouedraogo as denying this.

Picamoles, Bastareaud, Yannick Jauzion and Thomas Domingo, on the injury list, flew back from the tour last Monday, while Ouedraogo stayed on to play against the Wallabies. ...

Team bosses face tough questions about their handling of the scandal.

One is why Pierre Camou, president of the French Rugby Federation, and Jo Maso, the Bleus' manager, leapt to defend Bastareaud.

They insist they were duped by the player. Le Parisien said acidly: "Taking a bit of distance in handling this affair would have helped to avoid a diplomatic incident and prevented French rugby from looking ridiculous." Le Monde described the incident as a "torment" for les Bleus.

And sports daily L'Equipe said: "The Bastareaud affair is far from over."

Source.

Stephen Jones, ignorant weasel / timorous chickenshit

Apologies to the British & Irish Lions namesake playing test match rugby against the Springboks today. That guy is perfectly o-kay.

Rather, I am referring here, of course, to The Times' (UK)'s resident assclown rugby columnist, who could use both of Schalk Burger's thumbs to his eyes to improve his blatant myopia and blind-pig disinformation.

See "Update II" at the Mathieu Bastareaud thread below.

Inglourious Bastareaud, Pulp Fiction

Oops! I lied.

[Updated below - Update II - Update III - Update IV - Update V - Update VI - Update VII - Update VIII - Update IX - Update X - Update XI.]

Following close on the heels of the revelations yesterday in the Mark Sanford l'affair, we've got our own little rugby potboiler - the fabricated tale of a fractured eye-socket.

On Saturday night, following France's 14-10 loss to the All Blacks in Wellington, a scandal broke in New Zealand when it was alleged that:

A French rugby player was punched and knocked to the ground in an early morning attack by five rugby fans.

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

According to the French team, Bastareaud was knocked to the ground by five men, who recognised the rising rugby star as he returned to his Featherston St hotel.

"He is a bit shocked," French coach Marc Lievremont said last night. "And on top of that, he broke his nose last week in the [first test against the All Blacks]. It is a lot. He is only 20 years old. He is very strong, but at the same time ..."

The centre, who is 1.83 metres tall and weighs 111 kilograms, was returning to the Holiday Inn after his team's 14-10 loss to the All Blacks at Westpac Stadium. French team manager Jo Maso said Bastareaud had to have four stitches in his left cheek. He also suffered bruising in the attack. He was treated by the French team doctor.

Maso said that just before they struck, the attackers yelled "something about `F...ing French'.

"It was five on one," Maso said.

Lievremont said that Bastareaud was with the French squad when they went out for a drink but wanted to return to the hotel early.

"As he came out for a taxi he was attacked by some people ... hit on the face."

The French team did not pursue charges with police, but told the New Zealand Rugby Union.

"We know we won't find them [the attackers]. We just informed the New Zealand federation of an incident. They are not to blame though, it was misfortune," he said.

"[The injury] wasn't too serious. All the same Mathieu was afraid and needed help."

The rugby union said it was deeply disappointed by the attack, which struck at its reputation as a host ahead of the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

Source.

It gets worse however, because Bastareaud didn't just say he was swarmed by any ole' white-bread Kiwis. Instead:

He told them he thought his attackers were Polynesian and Maori.

Source.

The NZ police were on an all-points-bulletin hunt for the attackers, and there was the curious piece of missing evidence when a video-camera showed Bastareaud arriving back to his hotel in the early morning hours with women on his arm and looking no worse for wear.

Red flags really started flapping when Bastareaud returned home to France while he teammates continued their tour to Australia.

The French rugby player assaulted in Wellington at the weekend says he is amazed at the level of interest surrounding the Sunday morning incident.

Mathieu Bastareaud was attacked by four or five men when he returned to his team’s hotel after having been out drinking in the central city.

"I have just returned from New Zealand and I am really surprised at the amount of media interest surrounding it," the blockbusting centre said in a statement released by his club Stade Francais.

"I was astonished by the amount of journalists at the airport when I touched down.

"All that happened was an everyday occurrence which could happen to anybody. Unhappily for me it was my turn this time."

Source.

As Geraldo Rivera used to say, "Now it can be told!"

Bastareaud comes clean

25th June 2009

France and Stade Français centre Mathieu Bastareaud has admitted to lying about being assaulted in New Zealand in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Bastareaud returned to France earlier this week with stitches in his face after saying he had been assaulted by "four or five" men in the streets of Wellington.

In a statement published on his club's website on Thursday, Bastareaud has confessed to making the entire story up after doubts were cast over his original version of events when it was revealed that CCTV footage from the night showed Bastareaud walking into his hotel uninjured with two other players and two women.

"I have to clear up the incidents that happened in New Zealand. I have to tell the truth," read Bastareaud's statement.

"On Saturday night, I came back to the hotel after having too much to drink. I fell in my room and hit the bedside table and opened up my cheek.

"I was ashamed, I panicked and I thought I was going to be thrown out of the French national team. I told this story thinking it would all blow over, but seeing the magnitude it's taken I prefer to tell the truth.

"I didn't want to shock my family. I panicked and dug myself deeper into a hole."

"I would like to apologise to the New Zealand Rugby Union, the city of Wellington, the players and staff of the French national team, my club, my friends and most of all those who were affected by this incident."

Source.

The Telegraph (UK) reports:

The previously reported incident of assault on Bastareaud had cast a negative light on New Zealand - the hosts of the 2011 Rugby World Cup - but their reputation now appears to be restored. ...

The New Zealand rugby federation received a full apology from Bastareaud, whose 'assault' had prompted New Zealand's Prime Minister John Key to step in to calm matters.

AFP:

France manager Jo Maso on Thursday issued sincere apologies to the New Zealand authorities and admitted centre Mathieu Bastareaud had concocted his story about being beaten up by thugs in Wellington.

"We defended our player but unfortunately he lied to everybody," Maso said, expressing official regrets to New Zealand and others involved in the incident.

"They, like us, were duped... We are shattered by what has happened and we will see what decisions are needed on the part of the (French Rugby) federation and national selectors," he told reporters in Sydney where the France XV is preparing for Saturday's Test against the Wallabies.

"This is a great shame because the prime minister (New Zealand premier John Key) had issued a letter of apology. It is regrettable and I am profoundly hurt."

Funnily enough, from the photo at the top of the post, it appears the only thing Maori or Polynesian in this farce are the motifs tattooed onto Bastareaud's forearm. Bad mana.




Update:

Did Bastareaud come clean after a guilty conscience? Or might he have been squeezed...?

Police had sprung lying Bastareaud

Mathieu Bastareaud admitted lying about being assaulted in Wellington only after police suggested he "reconsider" his position, the head of the police inquiry says. ...

Inspector Pete Cowan told Radio New Zealand there had been no evidence to support Bastareaud's version of events, including CCTV footage from the Holiday Inn which showed him entering the hotel without injuries.

He said Wellington police on Thursday asked the New Zealand Rugby Football Union to contact their French counterparts to discuss the incident further.

"We outlined clearly our findings which showed Mr Bastareaud's allegations were a pure fabrication and suggested that Mr Bastareaud reconsider his position."

It was because of this police action that Bastareaud admitted he had lied, Mr Cowan said.

"Mr Bastareaud hasn't come out overnight and apologised out of the goodness of his heart. This has been a strategy from us and the New Zealand Rugby Football Union have been strong supporters and assisted us in this."

Cowan said Bastareaud had arrived back at the hotel at 5.22am on Sunday but didn't enter his room until 25 minutes later, and "what happened in that 25 minutes is obviously open to a lot of speculation".

Bastareaud had not laid an official complaint, but his fabricated story had wasted "an enormous amount of resources", Mr Cowan said.

Wellington's mayor Kerry Prendergast earlier said she believed the French rugby team and its management had colluded over Bastareaud's story.

"There was clearly collusion, there were other players involved, the team doctor's involved, the coach because Bastareaud got sent back to France so quickly. This is wider than just one player." ...

Bastareaud now faces disciplinary sanctions from the French Rugby Federation (FFR).

In a statement, its president Pierre Camou apologised to the people of New Zealand and the New Zealand Rugby Union, and said he had asked the FFR disciplinary committee to open an inquiry into the incident.

Source.

Update II:

The Times resident rugby "expert" Stephen Jones misses the boat - again! - in his latest column:

Awards for pomposity

...

And the pomposity of the statement by Steve Tew, chief executive of the (NZRU), grates horribly. He droned on about the savage injury to the reputation of "rugby, Wellington and New Zealand", demanded some kind of action by the French Federation, who were absolutely blameless, and generally reacted as if Bastareaud had actually burned down the New Zealand Parliament.

That "absolutely blameless" presumption is also a show of pomposity, right back at the precious 'Tash, whose condescending pretense continues...

The statement also appears to indicate that there has never been any crime in Wellington of an evening, and also that no New Zealand rugby players have ever got themselves into trouble. The truth is, of course, that an incredibly large number of leading New Zealand rugby players have been convicted of a whole variety of offences over the past five or six years, causing one New Zealand professional observer to wonder in print if there was not an alcohol problem in rugby which needed to be addressed.

Bastareaud was way out of order, but his offence was neither particularly better or worse than many of those committed in New Zealand and elsewhere by players who have downed a few. I also have sympathy for Bastareaud and for all players and referees struggling with a drink problem - and none whatsoever for the papal, mock-anguished tones of official reprimands.

"The truth is," Mr. Jones? You're telling us the truth?

All-righty, then. Kindly answer for us - how many of those kiwi pissheads over the past five or six years fabricated LIES making the fictitious claims that they were:

1. Swarmed by a gang?

2. Claimed they were deliberately targetted by nationality?

3. Identified the accused fictitious attackers by race?

4. And then extracted an official public apology from the nations' highest head of state?

Yeah, for sure, happens all the time, "neither particularly better or worse than many of those committed in New Zealand."

How many times, Stevie-boy?

Edify us with your wisdom and knowledge. Don't restrict yourself to just New Zealanders and the "past five or six years."

Try hard to present even so much as ONE single example that supports your fallacy, and you get to choose from ANY PLAYER from ANY NATION in the ENTIRE HISTORY OF RUGBY UNION.

It's stupefying how ignorant, full of shit and illogical this man is.

He's also incredibly thin-skinned.

He loves posting every log-rolling comment that elevates him onto a pedestal and strokes his moustache. But try writing him a polite message of dissent at his blog, and rest assured that 9 times out of 10 this pompous bully-coward will "moderate" your comment with a delete button.


Update III:

The fibs and revelations just keep on a-comin'.

I always reckoned Mathieu Bastareaud's "confession" sounded suspicious.

After giving us the Once Were Warriors version, where Bastareaud claimed he was attacked by a gang of savage Maoris, who targetted him and swore at him, calling him a "filthyfucking Frenchman" before laying their boots in, he then "came clean" with Version No. 2, the "Battered Wife Excuse," blaming drunkeness and a coffee table.

He could have just as easily told us it was a door knob.

Now it appears the Maoris and Polynesians were the real victims, and the actual culprits were more than likely Bastareaud's "filthyfucking French" teammates.

Paper claims Bastareaud 'punched by teammate'

French rugby international Mathieu Bastareaud was reportedly punched by one of his teammates, according to a Paris newspaper. ...

The French press are now airing another scenario.

How he sustained a cut cheek and facial bruising is the big question.

Two fellow players - named as Louis Picamoles and Fulgence Ouedraogo - may have played a part in the bizarre episode, newspapers suggest.

According to an internal investigation by the team, Picamoles and Ouedraogo came back to the Holiday Inn at 5.22am on June 21 in a taxi with two women, while Bastareaud arrived at the same time in a second taxi, news agency Agence France Presse reported.

"Drunk and aggressive, Bastareaud was reportedly calmed down by a fist from one of his teammates," according to an account sketched by the daily Le Parisien. It also quoted Picamoles and Ouedraogo as denying this.

Picamoles, Bastareaud, Yannick Jauzion and Thomas Domingo, on the injury list, flew back from the tour last Monday, while Ouedraogo stayed on to play against the Wallabies. ...

Team bosses face tough questions about their handling of the scandal.

One is why Pierre Camou, president of the French Rugby Federation, and Jo Maso, the Bleus' manager, leapt to defend Bastareaud.

They insist they were duped by the player. Le Parisien said acidly: "Taking a bit of distance in handling this affair would have helped to avoid a diplomatic incident and prevented French rugby from looking ridiculous." Le Monde described the incident as a "torment" for les Bleus.

And sports daily L'Equipe said: "The Bastareaud affair is far from over."

Source.

Update IV:




Somewhere in this sordid saga, there is a human being:

Bastareaud hospitalized after new allegations he was punched by team-mate

29 June 2009

Shamed France international Mathieu Bastareaud has been admitted to hospital with "severe psychological problems" in the latest twist of a tawdry affair that shows no signs of abating.

His hospitalization follows earlier media reports that the 20-year-old Stade Francais player had sustained his now infamous facial injuries after being punched by a teammate.

Max Guazzini, president of Bastareaud’s club Stade Francais, said the player had returned early from a Caribbean holiday and was now under medical supervision in a "specialized institution" in Paris. Guazzini said he was likely to remain in hospital for a fortnight and refused to give its exact location.

Guazzani blamed what appears to be some sort of mental breakdown on the "relentlessness of the press against a boy of twenty years. Journalists have gone to his home and that of his parents. It is completely destroyed, we must leave him alone," he told AFP.

The latest development is a further blow to both the player and to French rugby generally as a web of lies and half-truths slowly unravels.

Bastareaud initially said he had been mugged outside his team hotel in Wellington, New Zealand, but was forced into a public apology after police proved that he had entered the hotel uninjured at 5.22am on June 21.

The Stade Francais player then claimed he had slipped and hit his cheek on a table in his hotel room after a drunken evening out, but now a third version of events is beginning to formulate.

French newspaper Le Parisien now claims the player was hit by one of his own colleagues after returning to the hotel. Team-mates Louis Picamoles and Fulgence Ouedraogo have been named as the two players who returned to the hotel – in company with two females – at the same time as Bastareaud, although both are denying their involvement.

"Drunk and aggressive, Bastareaud was reportedly calmed down by a fist from one of his team-mates," said Le Parisien.

Inspector Peter Cowan, who led the New Zealand police investigation into the alleged mugging, had already confirmed that there was a 25 minute window between Bastareaud entering the hotel and returning to his own room.

"What happened in that 25 minutes is obviously open to a lot of speculation,” he said last week. "Now I’m now in a position to tell you, all I can tell you is Mr Bastareaud was not assaulted outside the hotel by four or five mugs."

Le Parisien says an internal team investigation has concluded that Picamoles and Ouedraogo returned to the hotel in a taxi accompanied by two un-named women. Bastareaud apparently arrived at the same time in a separate taxi.

Picamoles and Bastareaud were subsequently flown home to France due to injuries, with Ouedraogo staying on to play against Australia last weekend.

The newspaper says Bastareaud now faces a French disciplinary commission which could either fine or suspend him from the national team.

It is another sorry turn in a turgid tale of lies and half-truths, with Bastareaud’s reputation already in tatters. Whether other players, or even the management team, get fingered for their roles in the episode remains to be seen as the full story slowly emerges.

Source.

Update V.



Did Mathieu Bastareaud attempt to commit suicide??

I haven't seen any confirmed news reports, but a distressing rumour appears on a French-language rugby blog posted at daily Le Monde. I don't know the accuracy of the post since there's no source link, but wondering all the same whether it might be true.

Babelfish translation:

The spirit of the previous article dictated by the succession of true-false information about Mathieu Bastareaud and consequences of his third half-time after the Wellington test requires me to clarify that it was mailed to 12 pm today. At 17 hours, the announcement of the attempted suicide of the young man and casts a cold hospital on the case so far to say the least, bizarre. [...]

Original text:

L’esprit du précédent article dicté par la succession de vraies-fausses informations concernant Mathieu Bastareaud et les conséquences de sa troisième mi-temps après le test de Wellington m’oblige a préciser qu’il a été posté vers 12 heures ce jour. A 17 heures, l’annonce de la tentative de suicide du jeune homme et son hospitalisation jette un froid sur cette affaire jusque-là pour le moins rocambolesque. Il n’est plus question de mensonges, de défendre ou d’accabler un homme qui en arrive cette extrémité ni même d’ironiser sur ceux qui l’entourent en bien ou en mal. [...]

Source.

Update VI.

More French-language reports about an attempted suicide.

L'Equipe & Actualité et News.

Let's hope the guy pulls himself together and has a full recovery.

The saga has gone from criminal travesty, to laughable farce, to pitiable sympathy for the player in a matter of a week. It's not over, we still don't know the whole truth, and we don't know who to believe.


Update VII.





I'm sorry.



Telegraph (UK) reports:

01 Jul 2009

Mathieu Bastareaud lie over assault prompts French Prime Minister to apologise

French Prime Minister Francois Fillon has written a letter of apology to his New Zealand equivalent, John Key, after France centre Mathieu Bastareaud admitted to lying about an assault in Wellington last month.

[...]

In his letter, Fillon told Key: "By his false statements, as a result of which you had to intervene publicly, he seriously tainted the image of your country and its people."

Fillon said that he "regretted this incident" and added: "Our two countries share the culture of rugby.

"This sport has always allowed us to meet and to share a mutual respect. I hope that these sentiments will continue after this regrettable affair."

Bastareaud meanwhile has been admitted to hospital with what has been reported as serious psychological problems after the worldwide interest into the incident affected his mental state.

The Stade Francais centre, who had been due to go on a family holiday to the Caribbean this week, is expected to stay in hospital for at least a fortnight under observation.

The 20-year-old, who made his debut for France last year, has been backed by the French players' union, Provale, who issued a statement saying: "We solemnly demand that the media storm which nurtures doubts and fantasies ends immediately. We want above all that his privacy be respected and we hope that he makes a return to the pitch as quickly as possible."

But French Rugby Federation (FRF) president Pierre Camou, was less forgiving and condemned Bastareaud's behaviour.

"To be an international carries with it responsibility as a representative of your country and your federation," a FRF statement read.

"The FRF is shocked that one of the French XV has lied. The New Zealand nation and the world of rugby can legitimately feel wounded by the player's initial statements which have also tarnished the image of French rugby."

Update VIII.



The Times (UK) reports:

A France rugby international who sparked a diplomatic incident when he falsely claimed that he had been assaulted by New Zealand fans has been admitted to psychiatric care after reportedly throwing himself into the Seine.

Mathieu Bastareaud, 20, is said to have attempted suicide after telling friends he could not cope with the scandal that erupted when his lies were uncovered by police in New Zealand. The incident has become an embarrassment to French rugby authorities amid claims that they helped to cover up a hotel room fight between players and left Bastareaud to face the controversy on his own.

Bastareaud is a rare representative of France’s troubled suburban estates in a sport dominated by players from a white provincial background. This, his friends say, has exacerbated his mental fragility. “He sent me a text saying he couldn’t stand this harassment,” said Mathieu Blin, a team-mate at the club Stade Français. “Now he’s completely gone off the rails.”

French media reports said the rugby player told friends that he was suicidal after being sent home from France’s tour to New Zealand and Australia. LÉquipe, the sporting daily, said he jumped into the Seine at the weekend.

Update IX.

Ex-France international & current media consultant Laurent Bénézech. blogs and raises some suspicious contradictions and straightforward questions.

Google translation:

Case Bastareaud: Maso must resign!.

Chronicle, 30 June 2009

In recent days, I asked whether I had to shed some light on what everyone calls the case Bastareaud that first, is a tempest in a teapot. I say, at first, because the problem is not that Mathieu Bastareaud had detonated the cheekbone by a combination of circumstances that certainly has the name of a partner, but more by the fact that this kid has found in nature released by management of the French team. Back on the facts and attempt to explain.

What has really happened on Sunday morning? .

I am more interested in what happened after the injury of Mathieu Bastareaud as what happened before. But as it should from the outset, let the facts. What do we know with certainty? The youth center arrived at the hotel at the same time with 2 other players with 2 girls, certainly good families and finally came to discuss the tectonic plates and other philosophical topics. 2 girls, 3 boys, a little alcohol to liven it all, it makes a lot of possibilities when these boys have the spirit sharer. What do we know yet? That one of 2 players is Louis Picamoles and we tried to make us believe that the other was Fulgence Ouedraogo except that the police has shown that this was not the case. First question: Why have lied about the identity of the second player? To protect it? Second question then: Why protect him if he has done nothing? I see 2 possible answers: either because the 3rd line Montpellier fiancé has no base or because it allows you to more easily conceal the famous player, even 2 at a time. Third question: How important is it to conceal the identity of a player who would eventually, in a gesture of annoyance, put a right (or left or a whim elsewhere ...) Mathieu Bastareaud? This is not the first time that such an incident occurs and until then, apart from the direct punishment that was the end of the tour to Mathieu Bastareaud, there was no death? Here are several possible answers depending on whether you want to protect the privacy of the offending player or his status in the team and, having no proof, I will certainly not venture to give a name. By against, what interests me is the result which is far more catastrophic than the 3 stitches on the cheek of the young French center stage.

...

There is no need to be in the small papers for the name since the team gave today. Moreover it is easy to imagine that if the geniuses of the FFR has tried to hide a player by another player, simply take the physical characteristics of the player in question, Fulgence Ouedraogo, seeking what is the other major player of the team that looks the most. Now if you do not, it only remains for you to buy the team ...

Update X.
Bloodhound Bénézech tracks the conspirators



Ex-France international test prop Laurent Bénézech continues his superlative sleuthing, and advises the young Mathieu Basteaud to come clean, tell the whole truth, stop protecting the guilty and co-conspirators, for the good of French rugby and his own mental health.

Excerpt (Google translation):

Mathieu Bastareaud: Why must now tell the truth!

2 July 2009

Mathieu Bastareaud is not only involved in the case Bastareaud!

If one follows the course of the versions of events given to the press and that we proceed by elimination, one can conclude that the attack on the young French center stage took place within the hotel and can not come from a clash on the night table of his room since the New Zealand Police found no trace of blood on the furniture. It appears therefore more and more obvious that the player was struck that, as a former rugby player and without, of course, an expert with the courts, seems the most plausible. Taking into account the player's body, the size of the cuts and bruises on his face, it seems obvious that he was struck by someone stout and strong enough to reach such a result. In any case, anything that does not resemble the passivity of furniture, even solid oak! Indeed, evidence is emerging: Mathieu Bastareaud, its fanciful versions protects her abuser!

And this is where things do not seem consistent. What interest Mathieu Bastareaud lying? He claimed to have done to protect his international career. But why, then, Mathieu Bastareaud not telling the truth as it is not aggressive aggressor? The only person to have committed a mistake at this point is that (or that, but it is unlikely given the result of impact) that hit the player in the face. Panicked because he claims Max Guazzini, uh ..., Mathieu Bastareaud pardon himself. But panic over what? In fact he was injured? But then the story of the night table was, at that time, perfect to avoid any further criticism than the awkwardness and alcoholic especially since the staff of the French team had given permission to players out, so drink, to be clumsy in returning. This is where nothing I want and where more and more difficult to believe that Mathieu Bastareaud was not alone at the time to build a lie to explain his injury!

Mathieu Bastareaud has no choice now!

If the young French center stage to avoid paying for others, he must now speak. It must give the true version of events. He must explain what happened before between 5:22 and 5:47, and secondly and more importantly, what happened from the time it was recousu by Dr. Hager. What risk there more? It is already condemned by the Federation and the Prime Minister of France. And if a few good friends advice him promise that his silence is the best way to avoid too heavy a sentence, Mathieu Bastareaud should know that this is wrong!

The young French center stage is now designated as guilty only by what he is all alone to take the lie of the alleged assault outside the hotel by New Zealand nationals. But now it is proven to have been assaulted inside the hotel and clear as it was by a natural person and not a piece of furniture, Mathieu Bastareaud can no longer be accused of having been the only one lying. There are at least one other person who knows the truth, his assailant. Plus, maybe, if we are going to be assumed that the first version of the facts, which seems many arrange french camp, has been blown by Mathieu Bastareaud others.

Why do I pretend that the first version arrange many french camp? Simply because if the player was attacked inside the hotel, he could not have been, or by someone outside the French delegation, either by someone who is gone. If we accept the first option, why invent a version where the action took place outside the hotel when it happened in there? As against, if we accept the second option, this was a much more logical Mathieu Bastareaud was assaulted by a member of the French delegation, which gives an explanation for the clear starting to lie about the reasons for the injury to the face of the young Parisian.

The supervision of the French team in the secrecy of lies?

Obligatoirement, Mathieu Bastareaud and the assailant knew from the outset the facts! That is obvious. Them only? This is where I am taken to a huge doubt. I find it hard to believe that the aggressor, having placed his right (or left, once again I am not an expert with the courts) on the cheek of the player, has recouche as if nothing had happened . So I think it quickly sober by the consequences of his action, accompanied her partner to the room of Dr. Hager and thus, de facto, the now famous Dr. Jean-Philippe Hager knows the name of the abuser Mathieu Bastareaud And if Dr. Hager knows the name of the abuser from Mathieu Bastareaud, the same goes for the whole of the guidelines of the French team! So, logically, Mathieu Bastareaud could use the version of the attack outside the hotel with the blessing of the overall supervision of the French team. And when I say a blessing, I am compelled to ask whether it, as it would have us believe, Mathieu Bastareaud who is from the version or if, as is now possible, this version it was strongly suggested by promising that it would bury the case was not yet one.

When I say that I believe that the assailant with the victim, I have no certainty of course other than to think that whatever it is, the assailant had the presence of mind to worry the state of health of his partner to bring to the doctor's room. This is the normal behavior of a rugby player for one of our partners even if he is the cause of the injury. And that's what makes me think that Mathieu Bastareaud is only an instrument which has served a version of facts was to stifle what is supposed to be a case. The problem is that we came today to reverse the effect that the young French center stage must defend himself for not being the ideal sentenced to hide the huge gaps that this story reveals! MATHIEU, YOU MUST SAY THE TRUTH IS YOUR INTEREST ...

Update XI.
The Lone Gunman



It defies belief, but the FFR is washing their hands and passing the buck on l'Affaire Bastareud with an obvious cover-up to protect conspirators and blame it on a single man.

I am sure Laurent Bénézech will have more to say about this obvious smoke-screen (see previous posts).

Google translation:

The development of Pierre Camou

In an interview published by Midi Olympique, the president of the Federation reaffirms its support for the staff of Blue and announced that the Disciplinary Committee should punish the player.

As the father of Mathieu Bastareaud has proclaimed his anger in the press last week - including denying having cancer while the information was issued by the player himself to the doctor of the team of France - Pierre Camou is also emerged from his silence. Questioned about this at the conference of the Federation in Strasbourg last weekend, the president of the FFR, whose silence became heavy, has finally delivered his opinion on this matter in an interview published by Midi Olympique on Monday .

Annoyed by some questions on this lie became an affair of state after the apologies of the Prime Ministers of New Zealand and french, the successor to Bernard Lapasset strongly reaffirmed the continued Jo Maso at his post. Some spoke of a possible dismissal of manager of the French team, but Pierre Camou said he "was never in danger." If it concedes the lack of relevance of a night out between two tests, it vigorously defended his staff: "I say, I repeat and I repeat: everyone has fulfilled its role, ensures there. I want to reiterate that the players are professionals (...) The players are adults. You can not put a guard in front of each room. It is their responsibility. "

"There will obviously a sanction"

Mathieu Bastareaud should be the only one to pay the mess in this case. "The Disciplinary Committee has received, it will be independent in its investigation and then, proposals for possible sanctions", said the president of the FFR, as that "there is obviously a penalty, if only in relation to the injury of a people, an entire nation, had to endure." There are still no date fixed for the consideration of case of player who, moreover, is always placed in a clinic in the Paris area to rest.

"What worries me most is the health of the player," says Pierre Camou. A health condition which returned Max Guazzini in the Sunday issue Stage 2, providing further reassurance. But the president of the french stage once again threw the trouble on this matter very opaque in stating that "if (Bastareaud, NDLR) not telling the truth, perhaps because it protects people ... "The investigation requested by the President of the FFR is supposed to shed light on this matter." ...

Total farce.