Bastareaud gunning to reignite France rugby career

Out-of-favour French international centre Mathieu Bastareaud says he wants to reignite his France career as he prepares to kick-off the Top 14 campaign with new club Toulon this weekend. The 23-year-old has nine caps to his name but has been left out of national coach Marc Lievremont's World Cup squad. And he wants to prove to Toulon sporting director Philippe Saint-Andre, who is set to replace Lievremont after the New Zealand tournament, that he has a future in the national side. "When I was a child, the France team was a dream. Today it's an objective. Playing good games with Toulon, feeling as comfortable as possible to get on the right track," said Bastareaud, spelling out his aim in the coming months in Wednesday's L'Equipe. "It's logical that I wasn't selected for the World Cup. I wasn't able to raise the level of my game at the right time while to win the World Cup you have to take the best. "Today I want to do everything I can to become the best again. I want to recapture my best form ... as quickly as possible. "I want titles. I've come here for that. I think I've lost enough time." Despite strong performances with former club Stade Francais, the powerfully built Bastareaud had been punished for his lack of training, which led to extra weight. But despite remaining sensitive to talk about his weight he admitted he had shed eight kilos since his arrival in Toulon. "It annoys me. When I have a bad game it's always blamed on my weight," he said. "Yes I've made some efforts since I've been at Toulon. I've just changed club, so you always want to make an impression." The Parisian player credited Saint-Andre with bringing him to Toulon. "I'd heard good stories from other players. Everything went well when I met him. His departure won't change much for me because I know he won't leave the keys with just anybody." Bastareaud joined Stade Francais in 2007 and quickly became a firm favourite of the fans with his strong and direct style helping them to reach the Top 14 semi-finals. He made his debut for France in the Six Nations match against Wales in February 2009 - when he was named man of the match - but his international career hit the headlines for the wrong reasons that summer when he admitted lying about a late-night mugging in New Zealand.