Bastareaud back to Lyon after New York spell - club

FILE PHOTO: Rugby Union - The Killik Cup - Barbarians v Fiji - Twickenham Stadium, London, Britain - November 16, 2019 Barbarians' Mathieu Bastareaud during the warm up before the match Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers

Former French international Mathieu Bastareaud will join Lyon for two seasons after a short spell at RU New York, the French Top 14 side said on Saturday.

"LOU rugby is happy to announce that Mathieu Bastareaud has signed a two-year contract starting next season," Lyon said in a statement.

Centre Bastareaud, who won 54 caps for France between 2009-2019, will be back in France in the coming days, Lyon said, after Major League Rugby was cancelled amid the coronavirus crisis.

Bastareaud, 31, played most of his professional career at Stade Francais (2007-2011) and Toulon (2011-2019) before joining Lyon last year.

(Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Alex Richardson)