Rugby- Six Nations squads:France coach Marc Lièvremont has recalled Mathieu Bastareaud into his Six Nations squad. Bastareaud, a cousin of French soccer international William Gallas, is included in a 30-man panel for the forthcoming championship.
With Declan Kidney’s side travelling to the Stade de France on Valentine’s weekend, where Gallas ended Ireland’s World Cup dream, there would be a certain irony if the centre is involved on February 13th.
Bastareaud caused a diplomatic stir when he claimed he had been attacked following a night out in Wellington on France’s tour to New Zealand last summer when, in fact, he sustained a suspected broken eye socket and needed four stitches in his cheek after a drunken fall in his hotel room.
Bastareaud, who returned to France following the incident, admitted his story was a lie concocted to hide the fact he had injured himself.
Lièvremont has brought Aurelien Rougerie back into his plans but there is no place for Maxime Medard, Cedric Heymans and Lionel Beauxis.
With Julien Dupuy suspended and Dimitri Yachvili injured, Lièvremont’s problems at scrumhalf are well documented.
The coach has restisted the temptation to bring the versatile Freddie Michalak back into the fold with Clermont’s Morgan Parra and Jean-Baptiste Elissalde of Toulouse in line to claim the number nine jersey.
France squad
Forwards:Thomas Domingo (Clermont), Luc Ducalcon (Castres), Sylvain Marconnet (Stade Français), Nicolas Mas (Perpignan), William Servat (Stade Toulousain), Dimitri Szarzewski (Stade Français), Sébastien Chabal (Racing Metro), Romain Millo-Chulski (Stade Toulousain), Lionel Nallet (Racing Metro), Pascal Pape (Stade Français), Julien Bonnaire (Clermont), Thierry Dussautoir (Stade Toulousain), Imanol Harinordoquy (Biarritz), Alexandre Lapandry (Clermont), Fulgence Ouedraogo (Montpellier), Louis Picamoles (Stade Toulousain)
Backs:Jean-Baptiste Elissalde (Stade Toulousain), Morgan Parra (Clermont), Benjamin Boyet (Bourgoin), François Trinh-Duc (Montpellier), Mathieu Bastareaud (Stade Français), Fabrice Estebanez (Brive), David Marty (Perpignan), Yannick Jauzion (Stade Toulousain), Vincent Clerc (Stade Toulousain), Benjamin Fall (Bayonne), Julien Malzieu (Clermont), Aurelien Rougerie (Clermont), Alexis Palisson (Brive), Clement Poitrenaud (Stade Toulousain).