Ex-France great sticks the boot in on uninspired England

Former France back-rower Serge Betsen has delivered a withering assessment of England ahead of their Rugby World Cup quarter-final versus Fiji on Sunday. Steve Borthwick’s side have failed to set the tournament alight on their run to the last-eight and Betsen is hoping they will finally get found out and wind up eliminated in Marseille. 

Speaking to Genting Casino, Betsen said: “England are a team without any inspiration. We want to see England play a better game. I want to see Marcus Smith at-fly half, see the ball flow, and play great rugby. England are very narrow in their game plan.” 

He went on to explain why he believes Fiji can get the win that eluded Samoa when they agonisingly lost 17-18 to England last Saturday in Lile in the final Pool D match. “I really hope Fiji beat England and get revenge for Samoa. It is going to be a messy, scrappy game. I hope I will see the same Fiji who beat Australia.  

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“I want the game to be enjoyable to watch, for the supporters. For me, I want it to be a spectacular game with a lot of tries and momentum, I really hope Fiji will win. England were losing for a long time against Samoa. Unfortunately, England won.  

“I hope Fiji will take revenge for Samoa, for Pacific Island friendship. Hopefully, Fiji will get over the line. What is interesting is we have seen Fiji’s set-piece and scrum get much better, and you know what their backs can do. Hopefully, the forwards will provide the platform for them to play their best rugby.” 

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Betsen hoped that the legacy of France 2023 would be an improvement in the resourcing of tier-two teams around the world. “World Rugby can do more to help the tier two teams grow and develop. For me, rugby should be looking at this. We need to make sure all the teams are equal at least in terms of recovery time. 

“We talk a lot about health, but they never get the same recovery time and it is difficult for them to compete. You see how tough rugby is and how important it is to have time to recover properly. It is a battle every day for them, and I hope rugby will reflect and push the boundaries to be fairer. 

“We need to look after our players and have the same system worldwide. I have been able to work for television in Africa to showcase what the sport is about. It is very important to remember that everywhere in the world people are passionate about rugby.”