The foreword to Mathieu Bastareaud’s book Tête Haute (Head Held High), in which the Frenchman lays bare his soul, is written by Jonny Wilkinson. He speaks of the honour and privilege of playing alongside Bastareaud at Toulon but, first, he recalls the centre’s arrival at the club – “for an Englishman, he represented a real mystery”. Plus ça change.
For Bastareaud remains one of rugby’s most complicated and perhaps misunderstood individuals. Not long before his book was released, after a bad defeat for Toulon at the end of 2014, he gave a tearful interview in which he said: “I’m a zombie. I think that now I’ve come to the end of the road.” That self-doubt, of which he has often spoken, does not chime with his rampaging on-field style – “a superhuman force”, writes Wilkinson – but as the current captain of his club, and vice-captain of his country, there appears a maturity to him, his recent ban for an inexcusable homophobic slur notwithstanding.
Hugo Bonneval settles France’s nerves with vital try against Italy
Dave Attwood is barely a month into his loan spell at Toulon and crossed paths with Bastareaud for only a week before he joined up with the France squad. Still, however, the impact is obvious. “He speaks with a lot of reverence here, that’s very apparent,” says Attwood. “The fans are obsessed with him, he’s a cult hero. It’s a team of rock stars, but when he speaks, everyone listens and that says a lot about the man.”
On the field, “Basta” is in bloom. He was man of the match for France against Italy and he is now a vastly different player to the 20-year‑old force of nature who made his international debut against Wales in 2009. Back then, Dave Ellis was France’s defence coach and remembers the hype that took hold. “Historically the French backline was always full of very quick, skilful players and the idea was always that the backline would go to around the opposition,” he says. “With Bastareaud it allowed them to go forwards. It was like discovering a Jonah Lomu figure in France.”
Ellis has followed Bastareaud’s progress keenly and highlights how the centre has modified his game over the years. He remains a hugely powerful midfield presence – and he has always had the offloading ability that was on show against Italy – but he has honed his skills at the breakdown, where Ellis believes he is most effective. Considering England’s problems in that area against Scotland, Bastareaud will be an influential figure at the Stade de France on Saturday.
Big six who have stamped their authority on the Six Nations so far | Paul Rees
“Over the last couple of years he has become a key player defensively,” says Ellis. “What he’s realised now is that once he gets over the tackled player, that’s it – an automatic turnover. He has killed a lot of opposition attacks stone dead. You get locked in the jaws and you’re not going to get out of it. It’s probably the strongest part of his game now because he can guarantee you three, four, five turnovers a game and they’re important ones.
“I remember doing work with him when he was a very young player when he first came into the French camp and he had those offload skills, he was a keen fan of rugby league and would talk often about it. When we were playing small-sided games in training it was clear he had that ability. Perhaps it has taken playing alongside Ma’a Nonu at Toulon to bring it out.”
Size has always mattered when it comes to Bastareaud. It has been a huge part of his game but equally it has been a stick with which to beat him during France’s steady decline as an international force. There is also a sense of unfulfilled potential among some who have spent long periods of time with him. The former Toulon head of athletic performance Steve Walsh says: “I’m being hypercritical but in my mind he could have been better than he has been. He’s still at a very good level but if you stripped him down to look like Sonny Bill Williams he would be world class.
“He is naturally phenomenally strong, without even taking him to the gym. His posterior chain and his back, all the areas you would want somebody to be strong, he is naturally that way and that helps him at the breakdown area. But as an S&C specialist you’re always thinking he could have been better.”
Ellis, however, sees a player who has learned to maximise his strengths. “He is very big man, people say he is overweight and have criticised him,” says Ellis. “But if you slimmed him down he wouldn’t be the same player. He was never going to be the quickest player in the world but he is one of the most powerful. If Eddie Jones plays George Ford, Owen Farrell and Jonathan Joseph, Bastareaud’s eyes will be lighting up.”
Joseph has already encountered Bastareaud twice this season, as Bath and Toulon were drawn in the same Champions Cup pool. Joseph was picked against Scotland ahead of Ben Te’o because of his defensive qualities and is aware of the threat posed on Saturday.
“He is not the usual sort of centre but he is very effective in what he does. He gets a lot of turnovers, he is a big physical carrier so he is something quite different to come up against,” Joseph says. “You don’t want to get caught in a bad position when you are off balance and he is able to bump you off and you don’t want to be at arm’s length and trying to reach for him. You have to do all the stuff to get in close.”
Judging by his lengthy list of exploits – both good and bad – it seems remarkable that Bastareaud is still only 29 but optimism abounds in French circles that this time, after flitting in and out of the national side for so long, he is a long-term presence and will bring some much-needed stability.
Indeed, considering Bastareaud’s book was published in 2015, Wilkinson’s conclusion is prescient: “I remain convinced the best is yet to come for him despite everything he has already accomplished. This conviction is proof of my deep respect for him.”