Bastareaud was included in the French tour to
New Zealand and
Australia in June 2009, but returned to France early after sustaining facial injuries. He initially claimed that he had been assaulted from behind by "four or five men" outside his
Wellington hotel as he was returning from a night out. The
New Zealand Police launched an investigation into the assault and turned up
security camera footage of Bastareaud returning uninjured to his hotel with four other people at 5:22 am that night, confirming the assault could not have taken place. Bastareaud subsequently stated that he had been
drunk and had sustained the injuries after tripping over a table in his hotel room, and that he had concocted the original story in order to avoid getting in trouble with team management. The incident proved to have diplomatic implications. Following the initial assault allegation, international media speculated on New Zealand's security and suitability as a tourist destination and host country , especially leading into the
2011 Rugby World Cup, spurring New Zealand Prime Minister
John Key to issue an official apology for the incident. Following the later revelations, French Prime Minister
François Fillon sent a letter to Key, in which he apologised for the unfortunate affair and spoke of the strong relationship between
France and New Zealand, a rare official intervention in sporting issues for the French. Then on 29 June, ''
L'Equipe'' reported that Bastareaud had been admitted to a psychiatric facility after attempting suicide.
Pierre Camou, President of the
French Rugby Federation has referred the case to their Disciplinary Committee and asked them to investigate. In 2010, Bastareaud was selected to the
French Barbarians squad to play
Tonga on 26 November. Bastareaud started his first test in two years in 2017, against New Zealand in a 38–18 loss. Bastareaud had not made it onto the international field since he started in the
2015 Rugby World Cup quarter final, where the French lost to New Zealand 62–13. Bastareaud's two-year absence was cause by the fact that he had struggled with form loss and with injuries since the World Cup. Bastareaud missed the opening round of the
2018 Six Nations Championship due to suspension. He returned to international rugby on 23 February 2018 to start against Italy. Bastareaud had the final say in the fixture, scoring a try in the 73rd minute. His try was converted by
François Trinh-Duc to make the final score against the Italians a 34–17 win, France's first international win in over 11 months. Bastareaud continued his return with good form and he ended up captaining France for the first time on 17 March 2018 during a 13–14 loss to Wales. On 19 June 2019, Bastareaud announced his retirement from international rugby after not being selected for France's
Rugby World Cup warm-up matches. == Personal life ==