Lyon (AFP)
The center or 3rd international line Mathieu Bastareaud has committed for two years in favor of the Lyon club, of which he was at the beginning of the season World Cup joker, announced on Saturday LOU Rugby, 2nd in the Top 14.
After starting the championship with the Lyon team (7 matches), Bastareaud had joined the American franchise of Rugby United New York at the beginning of the year but the Major League Rugby canceled its end of the season due to the epidemic of coronavirus .
The 31-year-old, who has 54 caps for the France team, has played five matches in the American championship. He will be back in France in a few days, says a press release from LOU.
"This New York experience was special. I only played five games before the end of the competition, the confinement. It was complicated," Bastareaud reacted on the club's website. "I wanted to discover something new abroad. I will keep a good memory of this experience even if I wanted to go to the end of the championship. To stop was the right decision for everyone."
"The LOU is a healthy, ambitious and forward-looking club. The four months spent in Lyon were really great and I enjoyed the city. The club offered me a great adventure, why not take up this challenge", a- he added.
In addition to Lyon and New York, Mathieu Bastareaud played at Massy Essonne (2003-2007), at the Stade Français Paris (2007-2011) and in Toulon (2011-2019), where he was champion of France (2014) and winner of the European Cup (2013, 2014, 2015).
© 2020 AFP