Guinness Premiership : Wasps sign Betsen and Robinson

New Wasps signing Serge Betsen

Wasps sign Betsen and Robinson

22 May 2008, 11:43 am

By Jonathan McConnell

London Wasps have announced that that scrum half Mark Robinson and flanker Serge Betsen have both signed to play for the club next season.

Betsen joins Wasps from Biarritz Olympique, his only professional club to date.

The Cameroon-born flanker joined Biarritz at the age of 17, making his senior club debut in 1996 and his international debut a year later.

Betsen won the IRB World Player of the Year Award in 2002 and is a veteran of two Rugby World Cups, in 2003 and 2007, but announced his retirement from international rugby in January of this year, having won 63 caps and scored 9 tries for Les Bleus.

Serge Betsen said: "I am very excited about coming to Wasps. I have always admired the English style of rugby, and to play in the Guinness Premiership is something I have always wanted to do.

"This is a tremendous opportunity, not only to come to the UK and play for an English club, but to play for London Wasps, one of the premier clubs in English rugby.

"I am still hungry to achieve on the pitch, and what better place to come than Wasps, who have some of the best coaches and players in England and Europe. I am looking forward to working with them, to develop my game and to help win more success for the club."

Scrum half Robinson joins Wasps after five seasons with Northampton Saints. The Kiwi born half back won three All Black caps between 1997 and 2001 whilst playing Super 12 rugby for the Chiefs and Auckland Blues. Robinson then did a short stint with Rugby League's New Zealand Warriors before joining the Saints in 2004.

Mark Robinson said: "I'm delighted to be coming to Wasps next season. They are one of the top clubs in the Premiership, and I'm really looking forward to getting involved. I have enormous respect for the players and coaching team at Wasps, and training and playing with them will be an exciting, fresh challenge for me. I think the way Wasps play the game suits my style, and I can't wait to get started."

London Wasps Director of Rugby, Ian McGeechan said, "These are two high quality players whose experience is going to be very important to us, particularly in view of the fact that they will both be available to us for every game of the season.

"As a club that is hit by international call ups, it is very important that we can call upon players with experience and the right attitude, and we feel that in Serge Betsen and Mark Robinson we have two players who fit the bill massively in that respect."