South Wales Argus, latest news, sport and info from Newport and Gwent, home of the Ryder Cup 2010

Wales target the talisman

From the South Wales Argus, first published Friday 25th Feb 2005.

BEWARE Betsen. That's the warning from Wales' defence coach Clive Griffiths ahead of Saturday's game with `Les Bleus' at the Stade de France.

Griffiths and the Wales management made no secret of their hope that French flanker Serge Betsen would fail to recover from his injured thigh this week.

But the open-side flanker has been declared fit for tomorrow's game and Griffiths is full of praise for a man he says Wales just simply have to keep quiet.

He said: "He is their talisman and a key man we have to get to grips with.

"We have to make sure he is not hanging over the ball overwise we'll lose possession and he'll need to be taken out of the equation."

He added: "Betsen is a very destructive, hard player with no quarter asked, no quarter given and I have immense respect for him.

"He has a few flaws, which is down to his exuberance, but we have to win the race to the breakdown otherwise he'll take control of the game."

Griffiths knows it will be difficult but feels Wales have enough talent to win on French soil. He said: "This is our toughest test yet. They play a close contact sort of game and try and bully you up front and then they have flair and speed in the backs on the counter and it is just a case of how they play.

"But we are prepared for whatever they through at us.

"We've made mistakes but gradually we've been improving and now we are very confident in everything we do.

"We introduced the blitz defence on the summer tour and we are getting used to it now and we are confident of getting a positive result."

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