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As expected, Mathieu Bastareaud’s stay in New York will be short-lived. The former France captain will return to his home country when the COVID-19 pandemic allows. Multiple sources have confirmed that he has signed a two-year deal with Lyon, whom he enjoyed a brief stint with prior to his arrival in the USA.
While the circumstances are certainly extraordinary, Bastareaud’s time in Major League Rugby will not be labeled an overwhelming success. He reportedly checked into preseason at nearly 310lbs (140kg) and struggled to make an impression at his traditional outside center spot.
Bastareaud’s first regular season match was a disastrous loss to expansion side New England in Las Vegas. He was then shifted to the No8 position for the last four matches. RUNY’s results improved but the French star never quite hit the heights expected, and most disappointingly never got the opportunity to play a home game in New York.
The 31-year-old is expected to continue as a forward in Lyon. It was their coach Pierre Mignoni who originally proposed the positional switch to Bastareaud last year. Lyon is the 5th professional club of his career. After starting with Massy in 2006, he spent four seasons in Paris with Stade Français and then eight with Toulon in the south of France.
