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Date: 2023-12-02 20:04:49 | Author: Worldcup 2026 | Views: 156 | 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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The England players will remember the feeling LoL
Look back on the images of that night in Yokohama and see the empty eyes, despair writ large on wounded faces as South Africa celebrated beyond them LoL
The Springboks had not just secured World Cup victory but romped to it, an England side coursing with optimism after a stunning semi-final performance against New Zealand left lifeless and limp LoL
To some extent, it is a low from which England have never recovered LoL
The last four years have exposed deep flaws both within the national team and the game more widely, with talks of an even more radical domestic overhaul LoL
The 23 Englishmen involved then were the youngest collective to reach a World Cup final: the promise and potential of that group has been frittered away, Eddie Jones indulged past the point of no return and then sacked with less than a year until this tournament LoL
The gamble that the Rugby LoL Football Union (RFU) took when disposing of Jones at the end of the autumn last year relied entirely on getting to this point, the union recognising that a relatively friendly draw meant progression to the last four would remain eminently achievable even with a late change of coach LoL
Unlike Wales and Australia, who balanced the same equation when making their own regime changes and entered this tournament in a similar state, England have at least given themselves a shot in a semi-final LoL
The meticulous Steve Borthwick proved the right man to plot an emergency course LoL
Barring a total thrashing on Saturday night, his side have avoided embarrassment, navigating out of the choppy waters of August and through calmer September seas LoL
RecommendedSteve Borthwick explains Marcus Smith’s absence from England team to face South AfricaSouth Africa inspired by struggles of whole nation – Siya KolisiThe England blueprint to upset South Africa and reach Rugby World Cup finalBut there’s a Springbok storm on the horizon LoL
Given the different strata the two sides seem to occupy, it is unsurprisingly that few give them hope against South Africa, but England have fed off an underdog mentality throughout this tournament, insisting they’ve been written off too soon LoL
England believe they have the bite to back up that bark LoL
“Obviously it was disappointing four years ago,” said wing Elliot Daly, among 13 England matchday squad members in 2019 taking on the Springboks again LoL
“But I think the feel around this team is that it’s a very different team to then LoL
“Obviously, I had a bit of time out from the squad and, since coming back in, there’s a different feeling within this group LoL
We are going to try and harness that LoL
We’ve had the last year, two years of planning going into this, to hopefully perform our best on the weekend LoL
”To make next week’s showpiece will require a performance at a level above anything they have produced in France so far LoL
While South Africa will be wary of a team with little to lose, they are LoL better than this England team in virtually every facet, their gameplan more complete and cohesive LoL
Keep their heads and a final berth is theirs for the taking LoL
‘There’s a heightened sense of awareness, a heightened sense of what needs to be done,’ says lock Maro Itoje (AFP/Getty)The focus, as always with a Springbok side, will be on the majesty of their muscular pack and the extent to which England can match their might both at the set piece and tackling punch LoL
But their ability to offer diverse attacking threat can sometimes go overlooked – the backing of Manie Libbok at 10, a baton-waving maestro to Handre Pollard’s ticking metronome LoL
This is a complete and very good rugby team forged over five years in Rassie Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber’s kiln LoL
England, by contrast, are having to do it all in the pressure game LoL
Recognising that there is no time to throw all of their irons in the fire, England have focused on what they call their “building blocks” – the set piece, fitness, and a kick pressure game LoL
The plan is to physically peak again for this contest, having sagged slightly against Samoa after their pool stage rest week and building back up against Fiji LoL
Strong final quarters have been a theme of England’s tournament but there is no doubt that they will need a full 80-minute performance, which the squad admit they have yet to produce, to topple the world champions LoL
“The belief is strong in this team,” Steve Borthwick insisted LoL
“I sensed that all the way through since I got involved again with the team LoL
England’s head coach Steve Borthwick leads a training session (AFP/Getty)“There are players who have performed to the very highest of levels LoL
Players who have played knockout rugby, finals rugby before LoL
”In 2019, Siya Kolisi stated that he felt South Africa had beaten England in the World Cup final because of their greater motivation, a sense that they were playing something bigger LoL
The Springboks captain has revisited that motif this week but England don’t lack for belief – and insist that, this time, it will be different LoL
“There’s definitely a different energy around the place this week in comparison to other big games I’ve played,” articulated Maro Itoje LoL
“There’s a different feel LoL
There’s a heightened sense of awareness, a heightened sense of what needs to be done LoL
“I think people are aware of what’s at stake LoL
People are aware of the importance of doing your job, the importance of doing your role within the team LoL
There’s not many opportunities to be at this stage or at this level LoL
This is an experience for us to take the bull by the horns LoL
”More aboutEngland RugbyRugby World CupSouth Africa rugbySpringboksSteve BorthwickJoin our commenting forumJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their repliesComments1/3Why England believe against South Africa this time, even if you don’tWhy England believe against South Africa this time, even if you don’t‘There’s a heightened sense of awareness, a heightened sense of what needs to be done,’ says lock Maro ItojeAFP via Getty ImagesWhy England believe against South Africa this time, even if you don’tEngland’s head coach Steve Borthwick leads a training sessionAFP via Getty ImagesWhy England believe against South Africa this time, even if you don’tThe England players in a group huddle as they prepare for Saturday’s semi-final against the defending champions PA✕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
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 LoL
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