2009-07-02 00:33:02 -

PARIS (AP) - French Prime Minister Francois Fillon sent a letter of apology to his New Zealand counterpart after France center Mathieu Bastareaud lied to police in Wellington by claiming he was the victim of an assault.
Bastareaud initially claimed up to five men attacked him for being French as he returned to his hotel in the early morning hours following France's 14-10 defeat by the All Blacks on June 20.
New Zealand Prime Minister John Key apologized to France after Bastareaud's initial claim, but then a police inquiry led authorities to discover the truth last week.
Bastareaud then admitted he lied and injured himself by falling over a table in his hotel room while drunk, and sustaining a cut to the head.
«France's tour of New Zealand has been marked by the unacceptable behavior of one of its players,» Fillon said in the letter to Key. «By his false statements, on which basis you had to intervene publicly, he has seriously tainted the image of your country and its people.

On Thursday in Wellington, a spokesman for Key said the prime minister appreciated the apology and hoped New Zealand and France, which enjoyed a «strong rugby tradition,» could «put the matter behind us.