Serge Betsen

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Serge Betsen
Full name Serge Betsen Tchoua
Date of birth 1974-03-25
Place of birth Kumba, Cameroon
Height 1.82 m
Weight 92 kg
Nickname l'équarisseur biarrot
Rugby union career
Position Flanker
Amateur clubs
1985-1996 CS Clichy
correct as of 7 August 2006.
Professional clubs
1996-present Biarritz Olympique
correct as of 7 August 2006.
National team(s) Caps (points)
1997-present France 49 (45)
correct as of 7 August 2006.
Other Information
Occupation Professional Rugby Footballer and owner of the Kemana spa in Biarritz
Official site http://www.sergebetsen.com

Serge Betsen (born 25 March 1974 in Kumba, Cameroon) is a French rugby union player who is a flanker for Biarritz Olympique at club level and France internationally. Betsen is generally considered to be one of the top flankers of the professional era (post-1995) of rugby union.

Betsen, who moved with his parents to France at age 9, has played for Biarritz since he was 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 workrate on the field, frequently making twice or even three times as many tackles as anyone else on the field[citation needed].

He made his first appearance for France in 1997 against Italy, but did not receive his second France callup until the 2000 Six Nations. Since then, he has become a regular for France.

He scored the only try during France's semi-final 2003 Rugby World Cup defeat against England but was cited for kicking scrum-half Matt Dawson and was subsequently banned for six weeks.

Arguably the best player in France, he was suspended in 2005 for tripping another player. The charges were dismissed as they were done "in the heat of the moment." A fearless tackler, he will always put his body on the line, but with increasing age the veteran flanker has started to pick up injuries more regularly than before and was ruled out of the 2005 autumn internationals due to a cheekbone injury.

Near the end of the 2005 season, he held talks with English powers Leicester Tigers regarding a possible move from France, but in the end decided to stay at Biarritz, signing a three-year contract that will effectively keep him there for the rest of his career.

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