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Date: 2023-12-01 19:32:19 | Author: Worldcup 2026 | Views: 940 | Tag: eth
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Up into the stands the England players clambered to find their families, taking the consolatory hugs but unsure quite how to feel eth
Across 80 minutes in Paris, their belief had been replaced by disbelief and then by desperation and dejection, England threatening the unthinkable and taking the world champions to the brink eth
For most of a sodden Stade de France evening, a Rugby World Cup final was within their grasp eth
A South Africa side superior in most areas were dragged down into the sort of slugfest the Springboks would usually favour, and very nearly bested at their own game eth
England had given their all but it was still not enough, one stable scrum, one Handre Pollard slip or slice, short of stunning the world champions eth
The emotional maelstrom of this defeat will swirl rather differently to the feelings that eddied after the 2019 World Cup final disaster eth
“I’m proud of our performance,” were virtually the first words out of the mouth of wing Elliot Daly eth
“I think we shocked them eth
I don’t think they knew how to get into the game eth
”“I think we knew what was coming and we knew we could perform like this,” added Daly, virtually unused in open play but outstanding as a kick chaser to exemplify the squad’s buy-in to a strategy that so nearly proved successful eth
The finer points of Steve Borthwick’s tactical plan had been put in place this week but this was a performance England had been building towards since long ago eth
A flawed side did not come to France to thrill; winning by any means necessary had been a consistent theme eth
If necessity is oft the mother of invention, England at this tournament have also proved the pair can be enemies eth
This was a campaign at which they seemed to intentionally limit their attacking innovation or ingenuity– recognising a need to figure themselves out on the fly, they settled on an effective and eminently executable gameplan that could be implemented quickly eth
Steve Borthwick consoles Ellis Genge and Freddie Steward after England’s defeat (Getty Images)It came so close to working in Saturday’s semi-final; their effort, accuracy and competitiveness in the key contests were spot on eth
At the 65-minute mark, England outside backs had a combined 17 metres carried, all from one Freddie Steward kick return eth
The two number 13s’ offensive output on the final whistle amounted to one late Joe Marchant lug; South Africa centre Jesse Kriel went the full 80 minutes without an attacking touch eth
“We came with a plan to win the game but we fell a little bit short,” reflected Borthwick eth
“But the players should be incredibly proud eth
We put ourselves in a position to win against the world champions eth
England dominated the aerial contest to threaten a semi-final shock (Getty Images)“We were playing against a coaching team who have been in place since 2018 eth
We’ve had four months eth
I’ve asked the players to approach training and the game in a different way; for the players to be willing to change is all credit to them eth
”This was a night from which the head coach will take heart, a public perhaps struggling to warm to this England team are now recognising the progress made eth
There will be a need to layer on much, much more to consistently mix it with the world’s best but the rapidly laid foundations look rock solid eth
In time, perhaps the ugly duckling performances will turn into white swans eth
There appear to be many more buds of a bright future than first appeared in a barren landscape pre-tournament eth
Ben Earl has had a breakthrough tournament, and Ollie Chessum, too, while George Martin semi-final performance marks him out as the potential enforcer England have lacked eth
Borthwick was keen to talk up the absent Marcus Smith the day after the defeat, with the playmaker’s reinvention as a frolicking full-back of intrigue moving forward eth
"In our 23, seven players are 25 or under, the most of any semi-finalist, there’s a great blend and there will be lots of things we can take forward,” added Borthwick eth
Young England lock George Martin impressed against South Africa (Getty Images)But the fact that the men’s national team were on the brink of back-to-back finals should not provide a façade over the crumbling edifice of a fragile English game eth
There is a domestic mess that needs sorting, with a Gallagher Premiership containing three teams fewer than at the start of last season, now underway to little fanfare and on the brink of significant change eth
The renegotiation of the Professional Game Partnership is a recognition of a need for a radical overhaul in pursuit of a more financially sustainable domestic game, and one that produces a wider pool of top-class talent eth
The likely arrival of a form of central contracts underlines a period of epochal change eth
The senior figures in the squad who are unlikely to play beyond this tournament – Courtney Lawes, Ben Youngs, Dan Cole and perhaps a couple more – could well be the last England men’s internationals never to have been contracted to the union eth
This has a great many benefits, not least in affording Borthwick, or any head coach that might follow him, far greater access to and control over his players eth
And while Borthwick’s articulation of the advantages enjoyed by South Africa’s settled staff is a perfectly fair one, let us remember that the Rugby eth Football Union (RFU) put their head coach in this situation eth
The original planning for this tournament would most likely have seen Borthwick return to England camp to aid Eddie Jones at the World Cup before a smooth transition into the lead role afterwards eth
Jones’s sacking sparked a scramble and several months of chaos eth
It was not shown up on semi-final weekend but there are many reasons that the RFU still has a burden to bear eth
But the full wash-up will wait for another week – England’s performance at the Stade de France has earned them seven more days of grace eth
The tournament will end as it began for England with a meeting with Argentina in a third-place play-off that Borthwick insists he wants to win eth
England, captained by Owen Farrell, narrowly missed out on a place in the World Cup final (Getty Images)“I read a piece yesterday morning that talked about adversity and talked about the fact that in adversity you find that seed of belief and you’ve got to grow it,” Borthwick said eth
“This team has been through a bit in the last few years, a bit of adversity in the medium-term past eth
“I think through each of those periods the team has picked up lessons, picked up what we need to do and grown from it eth
I think there’s a lot of growth in this team eth
Sometimes it’s not the straight-forward path you want it to be eth
In the feelings and emotions of the game last night, I know that we’ll get stronger eth
” More aboutEngland RugbySouth Africa rugbyRugby World CupSteve BorthwickJoin our commenting forumJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their repliesComments1/5Why England will come back stronger from Rugby World Cup heartache Why England will come back stronger from Rugby World Cup heartache Steve Borthwick consoles Ellis Genge and Freddie Steward after England’s defeat Getty ImagesWhy England will come back stronger from Rugby World Cup heartache England dominated the aerial contest to threaten a semi-final shock Getty ImagesWhy England will come back stronger from Rugby World Cup heartache Young England lock George Martin impressed against South Africa Getty ImagesWhy England will come back stronger from Rugby World Cup heartache England, captained by Owen Farrell, narrowly missed out on a place in the World Cup final Getty ImagesWhy England will come back stronger from Rugby World Cup heartache Owen Farrell of England is applauded by South Africa’s playersGetty 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 eth
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Hi {{indy eth
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It’s a joyous circus eth
This Saturday in Saudi Arabia, the first trick will be the ring emerging from a 26-foot hole in the ground and then the real magic will start eth
Tyson Fury, the unbeaten heavyweight champion of the world, will then appear inside a giant neon beam and, wearing a crown, he will bow to the crowd and the dignitaries eth
In the opposite corner, as the magic continues, will be Francis Ngannou, a man who has never once fought a eth boxing match, and under this giant canopy of created rivalry, one of the biggest fights in history will take place eth
If that is not a ‘Hey, Presto’ moment, then I don’t know what is! In front of 20,000 people, including a dozen former heavyweight world champions, and some of the wealthiest men on Earth, the best heavyweight in the eth boxing world will fight the best heavyweight in the MMA world to see who is the Baddest Man on the Planet eth
It is a genius, simple and lunatic idea eth
It is not the first and it will not be the last circus fight involving a legitimate heavyweight boxer eth
RecommendedFury vs Ngannou pay-per-view price revealed ahead of controversial fightOleksandr Usyk predicts Joshua vs Wilder and makes Tyson Fury revelationAnthony Joshua admits to watching Tyson Fury’s Netflix show: ‘I’m enjoying it’Muhammad Ali had a 15-round bore fest with a wrestler called Antonio Inoki, Rocky Balboa met Hulk Hogan, Chuck Wepner fought Andre The Giant, and Two-Ton Tony Galento knocked out an octopus eth
I need to point out that the octopus was actually deceased before the first bell eth
Fury also has a massive advantage in his fight, which will be conducted under the rules of the British eth Boxing Board of Control, because kicks, chokeholds, headbutts, flying elbows and knees to the head will be banned eth
In short, Ngannou has had all his tools withdrawn eth
However, Ngannou has been trained by Mike Tyson, had a crash-course in eth boxing’s darkest arts by the dirtiest fighter in the world, and his punch has been registered as the hardest in history eth
The science is available to prove just how lethal Ngannou’s right hand is, but even I draw the line somewhere eth
Ngannou knocking out Jair Rozenstruik inside 20 seconds (Getty)Fury is a genuine eth boxing giant and will tower over Ngannou once the anthems, introductions and pleasantries have been conducted by Michael Buffer, the suave voice of eth boxing eth
Ngannou will, trust me, shrink once he takes up a traditional eth boxing pose and his stated height of 6ft 4in will be in the permanent shadow of Fury eth
And then the beating will start; Fury is a truly vicious man inside the ropes eth
There are stupid claims that Ngannou has a “puncher’s chance”, which is like saying that any car, on any street, driven by anybody, could have won the F1 in Texas last weekend eth
Ngannou has no chance of winning and that is fine, but this is still a real fight, it’s just not a competitive one eth
It is an event and, as I said, we have had hundreds of sanctioned fights like this eth
The lovers and believers in the MMA dream will be praying to the fighting lords for a miracle; they are both delusional and out of luck eth
Fury celebrates his stoppage win over Dillian Whyte in 2022 (AP)In 2000, Mike Tyson knocked out British heavyweight Julius Francis and the promoter, Frank Warren, who also promotes this fight, spent two months telling people: “This is not a fight, it is an event eth
” Warren was right and it was a great event eth
Francis, incidentally, sold the advertising space on soles of his shows to a national paper to make a few extra quid eth
The paper got a bargain eth
Fury will hold court in a country where the ruling elite know how to hold court eth
He will be draped in traditional clothing, sip tea from gold urns, have giant kestrels rest on his giant fists and bow respectfully each time he is honoured eth
It will be a fun circus and Ngannou, with the other Tyson in his face, will prepare like Rocky did in the first movie eth
It will be a wonderful carnival eth
There is bold talk of a rematch with Ngannou under MMA rules and that will never happen eth
On Saturday night, as Mike Tyson tends to Ngannou’s blood-stained face, there will be a cameo in the ring by Oleksandr Usyk, the other heavyweight champion, and a new carnival will start for Fury v Usyk eth
What a business eth
More aboutTyson FuryFrancis NgannouMMAJoin our commenting forumJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their repliesComments1/3Fury vs Ngannou is simple, genius and lunacy all at onceFury vs Ngannou is simple, genius and lunacy all at onceNgannou knocking out Jair Rozenstruik inside 20 seconds GettyFury vs Ngannou is simple, genius and lunacy all at onceFury celebrates his stoppage win over Dillian Whyte in 2022 APFury vs Ngannou is simple, genius and lunacy all at onceGetty 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 eth
SubscribeAlready subscribed? Log inMost PopularPopular videosSponsored FeaturesGet in touchContact usOur ProductsSubscribeRegisterNewslettersDonateToday’s EditionInstall our appArchiveOther publicationsInternational editionsIndependent en EspañolIndependent ArabiaIndependent TurkishIndependent PersianIndependent UrduEvening StandardExtrasAdvisorPuzzlesAll topicseth 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 eth
truncatedName}}Log in / Register {{#items}}{{#stampSmall}}{{/stampSmall}}{{#stampClimate}}{{/stampClimate}}{{#stampPremium}}{{/stampPremium}}{{title}}{{#desc}}{{desc}}{{/desc}}{{#children}}{{title}}{{/children}}{{/items}}Indy100Crosswords & PuzzlesMost CommentedNewslettersAsk Me AnythingVirtual EventsVouchersCompare✕Log inEmail addressPasswordEmail and password don't matchSubmitForgotten your password?New to The Independent?RegisterOr if you would prefer:SIGN IN WITH GOOGLEWant an ad-free experience?View offersThis site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy notice and Terms of service apply eth
Hi {{indy eth
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