Serge Betsen

Rugger
name = Serge Betsen


caption =
birthname = Serge Betsen Tchoua
nickname = "La faucheuse"
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1974|3|25|df=yes
placeofbirth = Kumba, Cameroon
dateofdeath =
placeofdeath =
height = height|m=1.83
weight = 98 kg (15 st 6)
ru_currentclub = Biarritz Olympique
ru_position = Flanker|capital=yes
ru_amateuryears = 1985-1996
ru_amateurclubs = Club Sportif de Clichy
ru_amupdate = 7 August 2006
ru_nationalteam = nrut|France
ru_nationalyears = 1997 2000-2007
ru_nationalcaps = 63
ru_nationalpoints =(45)
ru_ntupdate = 7 August 2006
ru_clubyears = 1996-20082008-
ru_proclubs = Biarritz Olympique
London Wasps
ru_clubpoints =
ru_clubcaps =
ru_clubupdate = 7 August 2006
other = yes
occupation = Professional Rugby Footballer; Owner of the Kemana spa in Biarritz
spouse =
children =
relatives =
school =
university =
url = http://www.sergebetsen.com

Serge Betsen Tchoua (born 25 March 1974 in Kumba, Cameroon) is a French rugby union footballer who plays as a Flanker for London Wasps at club level and formerly for nrut|France internationally. He is generally considered to be one of the top flankers of the professional era (post-1995) of rugby union.

Career

Betsen moved to France with his Mother and six siblings when he was nine settling in the Clichy suburb of Paris.He played his first competitive rugby for the local Clichy based Club Sportif [ http://www.csclichyrugby.fr/index.asp] before joining the southern giants Biarritz when he was just 17. Unlike many flankers, he plays on both sides of the scrum with equal vigor. He is also regarded as one of the strongest tacklers in the game, and is renowned for his high work-rate on the field.

Betsen made his first appearance for France in 1997, as a replacement against nrut|Italy, but did not receive his second call-up until the 2000 Six Nations Championship. Thereafter he became a regular starter in the national team.

Nicknamed "la Faucheuse" ("the Grim Reaper"), Betsen's finest moment came during the 2002 Six Nations Championship, in the match against nrut|England, when his relentless man-marking of Jonny Wilkinson eventually resulted in the fly-half's replacement and paved the way for a 20–15 victory. Later, England's coach, Clive Woodward, said of Betsen: "“He is the only player that I can say was the single-handed reason we lost a match." cite news | last=Barnes | first=Stuart | url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/rugby/article3216345.ece | title=Master of mayhem Serge Betsen will be sorely missed | date=20 January 2008 | publisher=Times Online] France went on to win the Grand Slam [cite news | url=http://www.planet-rugby.com/Story/0,18259,3559_3052709,00.html | title=Betsen confirms his retirement | date=16 January 2008 | publisher=Planet-Rugby.com] and Betsen was named France's International Player of the Year. He was an automatic selection for the 2003 Rugby World Cup and scored France's only try in the semi-final loss to England, but he was cited for kicking scrum-half Matt Dawson and was subsequently banned for six weeks.

In 2005 he was cited following an incident during Biarritz's Heineken Cup match against London Wasps in which Wasps Rugbycentre Stuart Abbott suffered a broken leg; the complaint was dismissed after a disciplinary hearing found that "the trip, while intentional, was not premeditated" and had happened "in the heat of the moment". [cite news | url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2005/02/10/1299714.htm | title=Betsen free to play against England | date=10 February 2005 | publisher=ABC News]

Betsen was renowned as a fearless tackler, but with increasing age he started to pick up more frequent injuries and he missed the 2005 Autumn internationals after fracturing his cheekbone in a match against Toulouse. Despite this, he continues to be a formidable tackler: in the 2007 Six Nations Championship, which France won, he completed 56 tackles, 12 more than any other player in the tournament.

Toward the end of the 2005 season, Betsen held talks with English club Leicester Tigers about a possible move from France, but in the end he decided to stay at Biarritz and signed a new three-year contract.

On 16 January 2008 Betsen announced that he would be retiring from club rugby at the end of the 2007–08 season, when his contract with Biarritz ends, and was retiring from international rugby with immediate effect. [cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/7188528.stm | title=Betsen calls time on France duty | date=17 January 2008 | publisher=BBC Sport] .

On 11 May 2008, it was revealed that reports of his retirement were premature. He is to sign for London Wasps. [cite news | url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/rugby_union/article3908583.ece | title=Sackey worry for Wasps | date=11 May 2007 | publisher=Times Online] cite web|url=http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,12321_3596348,00.html|title=Wasps sign French ace|publisher=Sky Sports|date=2008-05-22|accessdate=2008-05-22]

Amongst some supporters this has [http://www.wasps.co.uk/bbsview.ink?topicid=802758&st=0&view=S&board=1&storytype= caused consternation] given his previous history with the club, including being cited in 2005 by Wasps following the breaking of Stuart Abbott's leg [cite news | url=http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-union/wasps-cite-betsen-over-abbotts-fractured-leg-487115.html | title=Wasps cite Betsen over Abbott's fractured leg | date = 12 May 2008 | publisher=The Independent] .

References

External links

*fr icon [http://www.sergebetsen.com Official site]
* [http://sporting-heroes.net/rugby-heroes/displayhero.asp?HeroID=1611 List of caps, 1997-2002]
* [http://sporting-heroes.net/rugby-heroes/displayhero.asp?HeroID=1612 List of caps, 2003]
* [http://sporting-heroes.net/rugby-heroes/displayhero.asp?HeroID=2031 List of caps, 2004-present]