Northern Edition

Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

Ex-France great sticks the boot in on uninspired England

(Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)

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. 

ADVERTISEMENT

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.  

Video Spacer

Rugbypass TV

Video Player is loading.
Current Time 0:00
Duration 1:00
Loaded: 0%
Stream Type LIVE
Remaining Time 1:00
 
1x
    • Chapters
    • descriptions off, selected
    • captions off, selected
    • en (Main), selected
    Video Spacer

    Rugbypass TV

    Watch rugby on demand, from exclusive shows and documentaries to extended highlights from RWC 2023. Anywhere. Anytime. All for free!

    Join us

    “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.” 

    Fixture
    Rugby World Cup
    England
    30 - 24
    Full-time
    Fiji
    All Stats and Data
     

    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. 

    ADVERTISEMENT

    “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.” 

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Boks Office | Episode 37 | Six Nations Round 4 Review

    Cape Town | Leg 2 | Day 2 | HSBC Challenger Series 2025 | Full Day Replay

    Gloucester-Hartpury vs Bristol Bears | PWR 2024/25 | Full Match Replay

    Boks Office | Episode 36 | Six Nations Round 3 Review

    Why did Scotland's Finn Russell take the crucial kick from the wrong place? | Whistle Watch

    England A vs Ireland A | Full Match Replay

    Kubota Spears vs Shizuoka BlueRevs | JRLO 2024/2025 | Full Match Replay

    Watch now: Lomu - The Lost Tapes

    Trending on RugbyPass

    Comments

    2 Comments
    D
    DI Burnside 523 days ago

    Well Serge, I for one hope you are bitterly disappointed with the result of this match. Further to that, I hope South Africa take revenge on France, for beating New Zealand, in an act of SH friendship….

    N
    Nigel 523 days ago

    It’s all well and good to have a go at England and their one point win in the last pool game but there’s nothing about Fiji losing to minnows Portugal.

    Join free and tell us what you really think!

    Sign up for free
    ADVERTISEMENT

    Latest Features

    Comments on RugbyPass

    J
    Jenny Rose 58 minutes ago
    Can 'great' Gibson-Park best 'freakish' Dupont in scrum-half clash for the ages?

    HOW TO RETRIEVE STOEN BITCOIN DUNAMIS CYBER SOLUTION


    I never imagined that I would be one of those individuals who would lose access to their Bitcoin wallet, but there I was looking at my computer screen in utter horror. I was a freelance graphic designer and had invested $250,000 in Bitcoin throughout the years, hoping that it would be the gateway to my financial future. I was proud of myself for being careful with my investments and online security. But one day after I updated my laptop, I realized I could not access my wallet. My password was gone, and in case that was not enough, my recovery phrase was nowhere to be found as well. My heart sank. I felt like my world was collapsing.

    The thought of losing all my savings was simply unacceptable. I tried everything—backtracking, searching through old notes, and scavenging through my emails—but all in vain.

    Desperation kicked in, and I started looking online for any kind of solution. That's when I came across DUNAMIS CYBER SOLUTION on Reddit. I was hesitant at first—how was it possible for anyone to recover something as secure as a Bitcoin wallet? Was this some internet scam? But after reading hundreds of positive reviews from individuals who were in the same predicament, I thought I would try.

    Their staff was extremely professional and reassuring right from the time I called them. They heard me out patiently and explained the process of recovery step by step, in detail. They did not make any false promises but told me that they would do their best to recover my wallet. Their honesty and transparency filled me with hope.

    The procedure was seamless and well-coordinated. The team was in touch constantly and kept me updated, which eased my worry. In a week's time, I got the message I had been fervently wishing for—they had retrieved my wallet successfully. All the Bitcoins were intact. I was filled with relief and thankfulness.

    DUNAMIS CYBER SOLUTION were not just highly professional but also very humane and sympathetic. They understood the psychological toll such a disaster can take and handled my case with utmost sensitivity and professionalism. They saved my financial future, and I owe them eternal gratitude.

    If you are ever unfortunate enough to lose access to your Bitcoin wallet, I would highly recommend DUNAMIS CYBER SOLUTION They turned what seemed like an impossible mission into a success story. I am eternally thankful for their services and the peace of mind they restored to my life.

    dunamiscybersolution@zohomail.com

    +13433030545

    Dunamiscyber@solution4u.com

    8 Go to comments
    S
    Spew_81 1 hour ago
    Stat chat: Clear favourite emerges as Sam Cane's All Blacks successor

    Agree for Savea to be successful at 7 he will have to remodel his game, again. But he has shown the ability to do that with his move from 7 to 8. Savea will have to focus more on the roles of a 7 e.g. tacking and cleaning out. The benefit will be that Savea can take advantage of running opportunities, in a similar way that Michael Jones used to. How Savea is used e.g. as a primary runner, or as a support runner will come down to the attack coach. But having a 7 who is a genuine running option will provide the All Blacks with another option. That option could be unutilized as a support runner. If put into the gap Savea will be very hard to stop.

     

    With Sititi at 8 (the best position to make use of his skills) the key will be who is chosen at 6, ideally someone with bulk and a hard work ethic. S Barrett could fulfil that role. I would choose Finau as he has proven ability to effect very heavy tackles. But it’s an open race at the moment.

     

    Agree, taking in account multiple factors in analysis makes the analysis a lot more difficult. There are so many more potential outcomes to take into account. Getting this done in time to meet publishing deadlines would be difficult. I guess it’s up to the readers to speculate on things like that.

     

    Papali’I is definitely in the conversation. He is a proven high volume tackler, at times he has shown a very useful running game. Also, at 1.93m/113kg he has the size to cover at 6 and to be used as a jumper in the lineout. With the Blues in a slump, how he performs in the next few games could be a good indicator, if he steps up he could regain a black jersey.

     

    Sotutu could be used at 6 or eight. If the trio contained Sotutu I’d put him at 6 as Sititi seems to be a more slightly more elusive runner that is slightly better at setting up others. Sotutu could fit into the trio at 6. A key work on for Sotutu is to lower his tackle height.

    33 Go to comments
    LONG READ
    LONG READ Brendan Fanning: 'The problem with the good times in this country is we expect them to roll on forever.' Brendan Fanning: 'The problem with the good times in this country is we expect them to roll on forever.'
    Search