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Police said they were investigating an attack on French centre Mathieu Bastareaud in Wellington after Saturday's Test loss to the All Blacks.

Bastareaud was assaulted by four or five people early on Sunday in central Wellington as he was returning to the team's hotel and was left with a cut and bruised face.

The French team did not make an official complaint because Bastareaud could not identify his attackers but police said they were looking into the incident, which followed the touring side's 14-10 defeat.

"Wellington City has a reputation as a safe city and we take any incidence of violence seriously," area commander Inspector Pete Cowan said.

"We would have liked for the matter to have been reported to us immediately at the time of the incident. However we're making our own inquiries into what happened."

The New Zealand Rugby Union have condemned the attack.

NZRU chief executive Steve Tew said he was "bitterly disappointed" by the incident, which hurt New Zealand's reputation ahead of its hosting of the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

"I'm sure the whole country will join with me in extending an apology to the young man for being exposed to such thuggery," Tew told Radio New Zealand.

He said the New Zealand union would speak to the police about the attack but the French team were "pretty keen" to move on from the incident.

"Ultimately it comes down to the individual that was involved to lay charges, so we'll wait and see what happens," Tew said.

French manager Jo Maso said the 20-year-old was attacked after an altercation. "They then piled into him. There were four or five of them," he said.

But Maso said Bastareaud did not want to make a formal complaint to police.

The French touring party is now in Australia and held a press conference ahead of Saturday's international against the Wallabies.

Team spokesman Lionel Rossigneux said Bastareaud, who needed stitches, had spoken to New Zealand police but had now left Australia. He will miss Saturday's Test.

"He's fine. He left Sydney airport this morning," Rossigneux said.

"The scan didn't show anything. It's just four stitches and a black eye."

French assistant coach Emile Ntamack said he hoped there would be no fallout from the New Zealand rugby public.

"I don't want to see a problem between Les Bleus and the New Zealand All Blacks and the New Zealand public," he siad.

"It's just a bad incident. He hasn't broken a bone or something like that. In rugby you have some stupid people (fans)."

AFP