TOULON AND FRENCH RUGBY WEAPON BASTAREAUD TO JOIN RUNY NEXT SEASON

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NEW YORK (April 29, 2019)-After much back and forth, Rugby United New York and Toulon has agreed to a one year deal for Toulon Captain, center Mathieu Bastareaud. The 6ft, 265lb weapon announced this morning he was headed for New York after a series of discussions between the two parties.

Bastareaud is set to join France for the upcoming 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan where the strong French Side are expected to at minimum make the Quarter Finals. In the past, Bastareaud has captained the French side 3 times and appeared for the national team in 54 caps including the 2015 World Cup hosted in England and Wales, and a 2010 Six Nations Championship.

Leaving beloved club side Toulon for the season, Basta has become a cult icon for the Southern French side. He has enjoyed 206 caps in Toulon Red and captained the side for the last 5 years becoming known as both an unstoppable force as a runner, breakdown machine and defensive anchor for the side. But perhaps most importantly is Basta’s leadership ability, as teammate Dave Attwood mentions: “(Toulon’s) a team of rock stars, but when he speaks, everyone listens and that says a lot about the man.”

General Manager James English further echoed the above sentiments in his official announcement:

“We’re very pleased to officially announce the signing of Bastareaud for the 2020 season, he’s a world class player. Details are being finalized but we are very excited to have him on loan from Toulon. He’s gonna bring a lot of experience and will be a big presence on and off the field for RUNY. This also gives us a great opportunity to further connect with our French fan base here in NYC.”

The Toulon Tank, now known as the RUNY Ram (ok we’re still working on it), will be a welcomed addition to the New York backline next season and is continuing proof that the MLR and RUNY have the world on notice.

Rugby United New York is home against the Houston Sabercats this Sunday, May 5th. The match kicks off at 5:00 PM, with a curtain raiser between Xavier High School and Fordham Prep to begin at 3:00 PM. You can purchase tickets here.