International: Bastareaud hospitalized in Paris with 'severe psychological problems'

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.

Meanwhile, France head coach Marc Lièvremont has reiterated his belief that Australia are currently a better side than New Zealand.

Lièvremont made his comments after France concluded their southern hemisphere tour with a 22-6 defeat against the Wallabies in Sydney on Saturday. It followed a drawn two-match series with the All Blacks.

“They [Australia] were probably better organized than New Zealand, they don’t make any mistakes,” he said. “They had a better start and maybe what we did wrong during the last two games was okay for that, but in this game we paid dearly. A very good Australian team showed us maybe a real level,” he added.

Lièvremont conceded that the Australia match had been “one game too many” after a long domestic and international season, but said he remained up-beat about his players’ development.

“Winning in New Zealand showed the quality of this squad, the players have learned and improved their rugby during the tour. The regret I’ve got is that we did not play the game as we planned to,” he explained after the Australia defeat. “We have to grow up and get more experienced.”