It was an extraordinary business and back in the capital for the first time since it happened, Bastareaud was quite happy to say that he's turned his life around.
He's returned as not only the captain of his country, but as a source of inspiration to his teammates. The man he was then is not the man he is now which is why when he asked about how he felt about being back at the scene of the crime as it were, he replied
"Nothing. It was nine years ago. For me it is the past. Not for you journalists. My life continued after that so for me it is a good place."
And this is where the deception lies with Bastareaud – nine years ago he was a troubled young man, now he's composed and articulate, capable of speaking in two languages and willing to confront all his demons head on.
He's shown incredible mental strength and resilience to bounce back the way he has.
To be here in New Zealand as the captain of his country is an extraordinary turn of events and he is a man to be celebrated and admired for that. Redemption is a powerful story and he has clearly redeemed himself.
He also has to be admired for being a considerably better player than his physique suggests he should be. Again…more deception.
At 128kg, he's a phenomenal size for a midfielder and yet he manages to use that almost exclusively as a weapon and is rarely exposed as a liability.
The big man looks like he could be stripped defensively on the outside and yet he was the man who packed the best defensive punch of all four midfielders on view at Eden Park.
He was a threat and the All Blacks treated him that way.
Bastareaud is not what he initially seems and hopefully he'll be given a warm welcome in Wellington on Saturday night by the home crowd for he has forgiven himself and deserves for everyone else to do the same.
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