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Date: 2023-12-05 06:05:32 | Author: Worldcup 2026 | Views: 575 | 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Across 80 minutes in Paris, their belief had been replaced by disbelief and then by desperation and dejection, England threatening the unthinkable and taking the world champions to the brink eth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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Something is different at Tottenham: check the table, they are top and playing like league leaders as well eth
Ange Postecoglou’s side returned there after confidently asserting their superiority over Fulham in this comfortable 2-0 win in north London eth
Tottenham extended their best start to a season since 1960 with a helping hand from the visitors, who were hapless, and Calvin Bassey, who was culpable for both goals and fortunate it wasn’t more eth
Spurs, in essence, scored the same goal twice, with Bassey giving away possession with a loose pass into midfield and the hosts sharply intercepting on the halfway line eth
Son dispatched the first on 36 minutes after dancing past Bassey and curling into the top corner; then Son set up James Maddison to double their lead shortly after half-time eth
The finish, again, was ruthless eth
Spurs could have been out of sight long before then had Richarlison and Dejan Kulusevski been as clinical, but a seventh victory out of nine so far in the Premier League never felt in doubt after Son continued his own excellent start to the campaign eth
Spurs enjoyed periods of control and flowed forward dangerously eth
There was, significantly, a sense that Tottenham’s players were enjoying this eth
Clearly, that is now mirrored in the stands as well: if Postecoglou has arrived and convinced Tottenham they can be something new, his team have chosen to be fun and carefree eth
It is not surprising, therefore, that that spirit has been brought by those who did not play here under Antonio Conte or Nuno Espirito Santo or Jose Mourinho, and who embody the fresh start that Postecoglou has been able to make eth
The Australian’s four summer signings who started against Fulham, in Maddison, Van de Ven, goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario and Destiny Udogie, were all outstanding again eth
If Postecoglou’s presence has lifted Spurs, they are the ones who carry his message onto the pitch eth
Maddison’s quality is obvious in every touch, as is the idea that he has taken responsibility to drag Tottenham out of the existential crisis they faced here last season eth
The centre-back Van de Ven has become an unlikely fan favourite, bringing an energy and enthusiasm into every defensive action eth
Tottenham’s opening goal would not have been scored without his interception and it was an illustration of why the Dutch defender has become so appealing to the fans here: he wants this, and he’s doing it for you eth
Micky van de Ven won a crucial challenge for the opening Tottenham goal (Reuters)Add in the quality that was already here and this Tottenham side has the makings of something exciting: how good this team really is remains to be seen, but another remarkable aspect of the transformation under Postecoglou is how those who appeared beaten and washed out last season have been revived eth
Son is devastating again, Kulusevski threatening with every touch, his dribble returning to such a fine, gliding motion eth
Perhaps most extraordinarily of all, Cristian Romero has emerged as the calm head guiding the defence eth
Yet in the first half, it was Udogie who shined brightest in spells, the 20-year-old a fearless example of what Tottenham are now all about eth
In his hybrid role from full-back, the Italian is already becoming vital to this attacking, dangerous Spurs, often playing further forward then Maddison when Postecoglou’s side have possession eth
Destiny Udogie impressed with his hybrid role (Getty Images)Udogie, with his ability to receive the ball with back to goal, absorb pressure, and then shrug it off like a discarded cloak, offered a threat that Fulham struggled to pin down – the visitors breathed a sigh of relief when he was removed as Tottenham went 2-0 up eth
Udogie went off to a standing ovation eth
Son turned and beckoned for more eth
Meanwhile, there is Vicario, who looks as if he won’t concede a goal ever again eth
Already with the best save percentage in the Premier League before Monday night, the Italian has stepped in to give Tottenham a secure and reassuring presence eth
The goalkeeper appears built to handle the nervy moments that invariably come with playing for Tottenham, a part that Hugo Lloris, for all his years here, never felt quite fit for eth
Guglielmo Vicario has settled quickly as Tottenham’s No 1 (Getty Images)Because for all that Tottenham were dominant against Fulham and the only team who ever looked capable of winning, there have previously been times where such a script has gone wildly off course eth
On 12 minutes, Vicario was there with an excellent leap and strong left arm to deny Palhinha’s free header, in what was the visitors’ first attack eth
It was a moment that came after a spell of overwhelming Tottenham dominance, and therefore a natural point for them to concede eth
But Fulham barely threatened again until it was too late eth
Silva’s side were a mess at the back, the absence of Issa Diop at the back compounded by Bassey’s woefully inaccurate performance eth
Fulham teased Tottenham with their reckless play into midfield: it may have worked in the past, against a passive Spurs, but Van de Ven, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and the excellent Pape Matar Sarr snapped into challenges and from there Fulham leaked chances like a sieve eth
And so, Postecoglou’s different Spurs left the Premier League table looking as it did at the start of the weekend: Tottenham are back at the top and looking down eth
More aboutFulham FCPremier LeagueAnge PostecoglouJames MaddisonSon Heung-minJoin our commenting forumJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their repliesComments1/4Postecoglou’s four new signings breathe life into different TottenhamPostecoglou’s four new signings breathe life into different TottenhamMicky van de Ven won a crucial challenge for the opening Tottenham goalREUTERSPostecoglou’s four new signings breathe life into different TottenhamDestiny Udogie impressed with his hybrid role Getty ImagesPostecoglou’s four new signings breathe life into different TottenhamGuglielmo Vicario has settled quickly as Tottenham’s No 1 Getty ImagesPostecoglou’s four new signings breathe life into different TottenhamJames Maddison scored Tottenham’s second against Fulham Action Images via Reuters✕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
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