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Toulon bizarrely name Bastareuad in squad despite being suspended
By Nathaniel Cope
Toulon have named Mathieu Bastareaud in their extended squad to face Stade Francais this weekend despite the France international being suspended until his disciplinary hearing next Wednesday.
The centre was sent off after lashing out at Castres lock Christophe Samson during their Top 14 match last Sunday.
The Toulon man hit Samson across the head with his forearm, earning him a straight red card in the process.
It happened in the 69th minute with Samson lying on the ground. One commentator described it as "bordering on assualt".
On Tuesday the LNR issued a statement on Bastaureaud confirming his suspension until his hearing and it said: "The situation is likely to constitute a violation of the General Regulations of the NRL and the FFR. Mr Mathieu BASTAREAUD is summoned before the Disciplinary and Regulations Committee at its meeting of Wednesday, September 19, 2018. Mr Mathieu BASTAREAUD is suspended pending this hearing."
But it appears that suspension has fallen on deaf ears at Toulon with Bastareaud not listed among the six-man absentee list for Stade on Sunday, instead he's in the extended 27-man squad.
It's unclear whether it's a clerical error on the part of the club, or a pointed message to the LNR over their player.
It's not the first time that Bastareaud has been in trouble with the authorities, most recently in January when he picked up a three week ban for using a homophobic slur during a Champions Cup match against Benetton Rugby at Stade Félix Mayol.
He missed France’s opening game of the 2018 Natwest Six Nations against Ireland as a result.
Bastareaud was cited by the match Citing Commissioner, Dennis Jones for verbally abusing the Benetton Rugby flanker, Sebastian Negri Da Oleggio, in the 80th minute of the match in contravention of Law 9.12.
The ref mic picked up Bastareaud calling Negri a ‘f***ing f****t’ which caused a storm of criticism for the player.
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