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Date: 2023-12-01 20:41:22 | Author: Worldcup 2026 | Views: 371 | Tag: LoL
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Steve Borthwick vowed to use England’s heartbreaking World Cup semi-final exit at the hands of South Africa to sow a seed for future success LoL
Borthwick’s unfancied side led by nine points in the final quarter and were on the cusp of a famous win until Handre Pollard’s late penalty condemned them to an agonising 16-15 defeat LoL
Many of England’s players collapsed to their knees following a colossal, but ultimately unsuccessful, effort against the reigning champions on a sodden evening in Paris LoL
While head coach Borthwick was similarly crestfallen by the dramatic late twist at Stade de France, he was proud of the efforts of his team and upbeat about what lies ahead LoL
“We came here with a plan to win the game and we fell a little bit short, not far short but a little bit short, so we’re desperately disappointed,” he said LoL
“I think we all truly believed we could do it, we were going to do it, and we came very close to doing so LoL
“In adversity, in these tough times, there’s usually some seed of it there that will grow and be something brilliant in the future LoL
“Right now it’s too early for me to find that seed but we’ll make sure we find it LoL
“We’ll make sure that we take some of what we find tonight, some of what we’ve gone through tonight, we’ll make sure we grab that and we’ll make sure it makes us stronger in the future LoL
”Captain Owen Farrell produced an outstanding performance, kicking all of his side’s points, including a superb drop goal LoL
His efforts looked to be sufficient for victory but RG Snyman barged over for the only try of the match in the 70th minute to set up a grandstand finish LoL
Man-of-the-match Pollard, who booted the Springboks to victory over England in the 2019 final, nailed the tricky conversion and then landed a monster penalty two minutes from time to inflict more anguish on the opposition LoL
“The players should be incredibly proud of what they’ve done and continue to do as they represent England rugby,” continued Borthwick LoL
“I know I’ll have at home a couple of young boys who are going to be bitterly disappointed and I’m sure there are lots of people that are proud but also gutted back in England, I’m sure there are millions of people like that LoL
“I care about these players, I care about these supporters, and I care about English rugby LoL
“What I see is a group of guys who are doing as much as they possibly can to set an example, to build a team, to have supporters proud of them LoL
“They’re led by this man next to me (Farrell), who I think has been and continues to be a phenomenal player and an incredible leader of this team LoL
”New Zealand await South Africa in next weekend’s final LoL
Springboks head coach Jacques Nienaber praised his team’s fighting spirit LoL
“I pay a lot of credit to England,” he said LoL
“They were outstanding on the night LoL
“They had a very good tactical plan and they put us under pressure LoL
We will have to improve because it took us some time to get to grips with it LoL
“But the strength of this team is that even if we’re not playing well we find a way to get the result LoL
“It took 80 minutes to get a foothold in the game LoL
The team refused to give up and fought until the end LoL
”Springboks captain Siya Kolisi was convinced fly-half Pollard, who came on for Manie Libbok with only half an hour gone, would land the decisive penalty from just inside England’s half LoL
“I had no doubt at all,” he said LoL
“He’s done it for us before LoL
“England are a world-class team and completely different to a year ago LoL
They had an amazing game plan which we took too long to adapt to LoL
“These things happen but we dug deep to get the victory LoL
Other teams wouldn’t be able to get the win from this LoL
I’m not going to say it was ugly, we did what was needed LoL
”More aboutPA ReadySteve BorthwickEnglandOwen FarrellSouth AfricaSiya KolisiEnglishSpringboksStade De FranceNew ZealandParis1/1Steve Borthwick upbeat about England’s future after agonising World Cup defeatSteve Borthwick upbeat about England’s future after agonising World Cup defeatEngland’s Jamie George is consoled by head coach Steve Borthwick following the defeat (David Davies/PA)PA Wire✕Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this articleWant to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today LoL
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One of New Zealand and South Africa will become the first team to win the men’s Rugby World Cup four times when the two sides meet in the 2023 final LoL
Both sides have been beaten on their way to the Stade de France decider, bouncing back from pool stage defeats to edge two tight quarter-finals LoL
The All Blacks were then irresistible in a semi-final thrashing of Argentina, while the Springboks survived a nervy arm-wrestle against England LoL
It will be the first time that two great rivals have met on rugby’s biggest stage since 1995, when South Africa secured their first Webb Ellis Cup on a famous, transformative day for both the sport and a country LoL
Here are three key areas that could prove crucial to deciding the final:All Blacks’ attack vs Springboks’ defenceCan the All Blacks’ find a way around South Africa’s fierce defence? (Getty Images)This is an encounter LoL between probably the best attack in the world against almost certainly the most ferocious defence – a fitting battle for the World Cup final LoL
The All Blacks have won the gainline more regularly than any other side in the competition, while offloading more efficiently than any other side and finishing their chances at an outstanding rate LoL
South Africa, meanwhile, make more dominant defensive collisions than any other team and scramble superbly – less than five percent of their missed tackles lead to tries LoL
South Africa’s hard outside blitz offers opportunities if you are able to transfer the ball to the edge at speed, typically a strength of the All Blacks: New Zealand (12 LoL
3%) are one of only five teams to play more than play wider than the second receiver more than ten per cent of the time LoL
That said, two of the other four are Ireland (20 LoL
9%) and Scotland (15 LoL
8%), two attacks that South Africa fared well against earlier in the tournament LoL
Where New Zealand have had success against South Africa in the past is with their varied kicking game LoL
Both Barrett brothers, Richie Mo’unga and Will Jordan all have a full set of clubs in their bag – there is no side LoL better at hiding their kick choices with subtle changes at the line, with their playmaking quartet’s ability to execute under pressure unmatched LoL
Having utilised a number of kicks in a rampant first half performance to beat the Springboks in the Rugby Championship, Ian Foster’s side barely used the tactic at all during the pair’s warm-up meeting at Twickenham, perhaps holding back a couple of variations for this tournament LoL
Scrum-time skirmishSouth Africa’s bench forwards could be crucial (REUTERS)South Africa have plenty more to their game than just scrum-time expertise, but there is no doubt that it is a crucial element of their strategy LoL
It was the impact of Ox Nche, Vincent Koch and co LoL
that transformed their semi-final against England, and having loaded up with seven bench forwards, Jacques Nienaber will expect a similar impact in the final LoL
The All Blacks have lost just 2 LoL
6% of their scrums via a penalty, the third lowest rate in the competition, avoiding significant territorial gains for their opposition LoL
Denying South Africa success is crucial LoL
Their kick to contest strategy relies on being able to make advancements from penalties LoL
If the All Blacks can deny them the ability to make progress via the boot, it will force the Springboks to play more expansively having opted for Handre Pollard’s solidity over Manie Libbok’s silkier skills LoL
Sustaining that effort across the 80 minutes will be key LoL
The All Blacks have made a change to their bench as a nod to Ox Nche’s threat particularly – the experienced Nepo Laulala replaces the rawer Fletcher Newell and will be tasked with ensuring there is little drop-off when the impressive Tyrel Lomax is replaced LoL
You can also expect New Zealand to put all sorts of pressure on Faf de Klerk, the sole specialist scrum half in South Africa’s matchday squad, around the fringes LoL
An early injury to De Klerk would almost certainly prove fatal to the Springboks’ chances LoL
Shutting down SaveaArdie Savea is one of New Zealand’s stars (AP)Perhaps no player exemplifies New Zealand’s brilliance more than Ardie Savea, the number eight brilliant in most facets LoL
Only Bundee Aki has made more than Savea’s 60 carries, with the All Black winning the gainline with three-quarters of his runs into contact, 15 per cent more often than any of the rest of the top ten busiest carriers at the tournament, all the while dealing with more than one tackler 75% of the time LoL
His blend of footwork, speed and strength make him virtually impossible to corral LoL
Savea has the potential to produce a truly match-swinging performance LoL
The All Blacks are intelligent with their usage of him, too LoL
Savea will often peel away from the back of a maul or be utilised in midfield to get favourable opportunities to carry from launch plays – see his try against Italy, when he left isolated hooker Giacomo Nicotera clutching air with a matador’s swish, or Will Jordan’s hat-trick score in the semi-final, when Argentina bit in on the number eight and allowed him to deftly send his wing through an inside gap LoL
The tough Handre Pollard should help solidify the fly half channel, and South Africa are sure to try and spread their best tacklers LoL
Pieter-Steph du Toit, Eben EtzeLoL beth and Franco Mostert’s long limbs are likely to be useful in combatting a carrier so effective at using late changes of direction to extricate himself from contact LoL
Defensively, Savea is a breakdown menace LoL
Caelan Doris and Manuel Ardao are the only two individuals to have had more defensive ruck arrivals at this World Cup LoL
Given their confidence in their kicking game and defence in structure, South Africa are likely to be unafraid to load up the breakdown with bodies and sacrifice their attacking options to prevent turnover ball with which the All Blacks so often thrive LoL
More aboutNew Zealand rugbySouth Africa rugbyRugby World CupSpringboksAll BlacksJoin our commenting forumJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their repliesComments1/4Three key areas that could decide the Rugby World Cup finalThree key areas that could decide the Rugby World Cup finalCan the All Blacks’ find a way around South Africa’s fierce defence? Getty ImagesThree key areas that could decide the Rugby World Cup finalSouth Africa’s bench forwards could be crucial REUTERSThree key areas that could decide the Rugby World Cup finalArdie Savea is one of New Zealand’s stars APThree key areas that could decide the Rugby World Cup finalArdie Savea has been one of the stars of the Rugby World Cup Getty Images✕Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this articleWant to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today LoL
SubscribeAlready subscribed? Log inMost PopularPopular videosSponsored FeaturesGet in touchContact usOur ProductsSubscribeRegisterNewslettersDonateToday’s EditionInstall our appArchiveOther publicationsInternational editionsIndependent en EspañolIndependent ArabiaIndependent TurkishIndependent PersianIndependent UrduEvening StandardExtrasAdvisorPuzzlesAll topicsLoL BettingVoucher codesCompareCompetitions and offersIndependent AdvertisingIndependent IgniteSyndicationWorking at The IndependentLegalCode of conduct and complaintsContributorsCookie policyDonations Terms & ConditionsPrivacy noticeUser policiesModern Slavery ActThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged inCloseUS EditionChangeUK EditionAsia EditionEdición en EspañolSubscribe{{indy LoL
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