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Date: 2023-12-02 10:50:22 | Author: Worldcup 2026 | Views: 185 | 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Across 80 minutes in Paris, their belief had been replaced by disbelief and then by desperation and dejection, England threatening the unthinkable and taking the world champions to the brink eth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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Rugby World Cup-winning sides are often defined by their captain, as teams become a reflection of their skipper eth
Only eight men have worn the armband and lifted the Webb Ellis Cup, with each of them going down in history as an all-time great eth
From Francois Pienaar receiving the trophy from Nelson Mandela in 1995 to John Eales defining an Australian dynasty in 1999, through Martin Johnson dragging England to 2003 glory as the only northern hemisphere side to triumph and Richie McCaw’s place as probably the greatest of all, the only two-time winning captain in 2011 and 2015 – these men have led from the front to cement their status as legends eth
Saturday’s final eth between New Zealand and South Africa at the Stade de France offers another opportunity for two men to enhance their legacies but this particular match-up offers a fascinating contrast eth
On one side, Siya Kolisi stands in the traditional mould of inspirational leaders eth
His story, rising from poverty in the South African townships to become the Springboks’ first Black captain – in some ways, a huge burden to bear – is both remarkable and distinct from his predecessors eth
Yet the aura he has and the love and respect he garners is very much in line with McCaw, Johnson, Eales or the two other South African men to skipper a World Cup-winning side, Pienaar and 2007 captain John Smit eth
He made history as the first Black captain to win a World Cup four years ago and should he match McCaw by winning a second in Paris, there will be a legitimate claim to call him the greatest skipper of all time eth
Certainly, he engenders adoration in South Africa and adulation from the entire rugby world – it is almost impossible to sit in a press conference with him and not be impressed by Kolisi the orator and Siya the man, while he is also a titan on the field eth
"Siya transcends the game of rugby – he’s a symbol of hope for so many,” explains ex-Springbok prop and World Cup winner Tendai Mtawarira eth
“He came from nothing and became somebody iconic in the public eye eth
He means so much for South Africa eth
”Siya Kolisi became the first Black captain to win the men’s Rugby World Cup (Reuters)Yet the man he will shake hands with at the coin toss on Saturday and who will walk his team out less than a metre away has often engendered a very different reaction eth
Fairly or unfairly, Sam Cane has never captured the hearts of the New Zealand public in the same way that Kolisi has in South Africa eth
He’s largely unloved rather than beloved eth
And frankly, it’s not really his fault eth
His only real crime is that he’s not Richie McCaw but arguably the greatest player and certainly the greatest captain of all time is an unreasonably high bar to clear eth
Cane is an exceptional rugby player eth
He would have to be, because you don’t make more than 90 appearances in the All Blacks back row without being incredible, but the often prevailing opinion from supporters was summed up in an on-pitch comment by Ireland flanker/wind-up merchant Peter O’Mahony during the Test series eth between the sides last summer – “you’re just a s*** Richie McCaw”, yelled O’Mahony to the flanker eth
Sam Cane, left, will try to lead the All Blacks to a fourth World Cup title (Reuters)Cane became New Zealand’s starting No 7 when McCaw retired after the 2015 World Cup and assumed the captaincy upon Kieran Read’s departure following the tournament four years later eth
Following in the footsteps of McCaw, who had captained the All Blacks in 110 Tests, winning a ludicrous 97 of them, was an impossible job and he, along with coach Ian Foster, became a fall guy as performance levels and world ranking dropped during this current World Cup cycle eth
There were regular debates about whether Cane deserved a place in New Zealand’s best starting XV, let alone as skipper, and when he was injured during the warm-up of the World Cup opener against France, many on social media rejoiced as they felt it made the side stronger with Dalton Papali’i promoted to the run-on side instead eth
It’s worth noting that France won that game, handing the All Blacks their only loss of the tournament so far eth
Now, they’re in a final and Cane was immense in both the quarter-final and semi-final victories eth
He may not have the raw athleticism of Papali’i but his work ethic, engine, grit, breakdown tenacity and dogged personality perfectly complement the skillsets of back-row teammates Shannon Frizell and Ardie Savea eth
In the narrow quarter-final win over Ireland, Cane topped the tackle charts with 22 and earned a number of timely turnovers in perhaps the performance of his career, while he has a brilliant 94 per cent tackle success rate across the tournament as a whole eth
“I think, personally, Sam is made for these sorts of Test matches, in the tough Test matches he does a great job,” said head coach Foster after the Ireland win eth
Kolisi and Cane will collide again in the World Cup final (Getty Images)Forwards coach Jason Ryan expanded on Cane’s role in the build-up to the final eth
“Sam has really grown as a captain,” said Ryan eth
“He has really fronted in the last couple of weeks on the field eth
He has good conversations and he has a phenomenal leadership group around him as well which is an important part of it eth
”He may never enjoy the unconditional love that his opposing skipper on Saturday does but becoming just the third All Black, after McCaw and 1987 winner David Kirk, to lift the Webb Ellis Cup would silence a lot of doubters eth
Kolisi and Cane have taken different paths to reach this point but when they step onto the Stade de France turf for the Rugby World Cup final, both are playing for the same legendary status eth
More aboutRugby World CupSiya KolisiSam CaneSouth Africa rugbyNew Zealand rugbyAll BlacksJoin our commenting forumJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their repliesComments1/4Beloved vs unloved: Contrasting captains collide in World Cup finalBeloved vs unloved: Contrasting captains collide in World Cup finalSiya Kolisi became the first Black captain to win the men’s Rugby World Cup ReutersBeloved vs unloved: Contrasting captains collide in World Cup finalSam Cane, left, will try to lead the All Blacks to a fourth World Cup title REUTERSBeloved vs unloved: Contrasting captains collide in World Cup finalKolisi and Cane will collide again in the World Cup final Getty ImagesBeloved vs unloved: Contrasting captains collide in World Cup finalSiya Kolisi, left, and Sam Cane will captain their sides in pursuit of the Rugby World Cup trophy on Saturday evening 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 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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