Mathieu Bastareaud
French centre Mathieu Bastareaud broke down in tears at the weekend and said he has had enough of his poor form.
The tearful 26-year-old opened his heart in an interview, following his side’s 6-30 humbling defeat to Stade Francais, that saw them knocked off top spot in the French league by their opponents.
“You have to know how to face up to things. Since the beginning of the season, I haven’t been able to find my form,” the bulky back, who has been capped 28 times by France, said.
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“I’m a zombie. I think that now I’ve come to the end of the road. There comes a time when you have to say stop!”
The emotional Bastareaud, who started out as a flank before converting to a bulldozing centre, has been in and out of the side at both Toulon and the national team this season, although he has been either in the starting XV or on the bench 19 times overall for club and country since the current campaign began in the middle of August.
He was well off colour at the weekend, but he was not alone in a Toulon side whose performance was described by backs coach Pierre Mignoni as “unacceptable”.