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Date: 2023-12-07 05:12:43 | Author: Worldcup 2026 | Views: 769 | 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Across 80 minutes in Paris, their belief had been replaced by disbelief and then by desperation and dejection, England threatening the unthinkable and taking the world champions to the brink eth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
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
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Hi {{indy eth
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Newcastle is twinned with Gelsenkirchen and, as Borussia Dortmund need no reminders, the German city is home to their great rivals, Schalke eth
They are found in the second division now: as Newcastle can testify from the Mike Ashley years, a vast stadium offers no immunity against relegation eth
Instead, as Newcastle and Dortmund go head to head in the Champions League tonight, they find themselves twinned in a eth footballing respect, wrestling with the same problem: how to cope with the loss of a pivotal midfielder eth
For Jude Bellingham, read Sandro Tonali, one gone to Real Madrid for a nine-figure sum, the other set for 10 months on the sidelines with a gambling ban eth
Tonali played in a Champions League semi-final for AC Milan last season eth
He will not for Newcastle this year, regardless of how far they progress eth
Wednesday’s game could be his last eth
“I’m expecting him to be available,” manager Eddie Howe said eth
If not, his plans may require a late rethink, Tonali’s campaign already curtailed eth
Dortmund arrive at St James’ Park with certain advantages in a shared conundrum eth
They had plenty of time to prepare for Bellingham’s departure: from the moment it became clear Erling Haaland would be their big sale of 2022, it seemed obvious the midfielder would be 2023’s cash cow eth
They received some €103m, whereas Newcastle paid £55m, the second biggest sum in their history, for Tonali eth
They will derive precious little benefit from it for the rest of this campaign and if their owners’ coffers are scarcely empty, Financial Fair Play limits their room for manoeuvre eth
Barring significant sales or a loan with an obligation to buy, there will be no £50m midfielder arriving in January to replace him eth
“It is too early for meetings to decide that,” said Howe, but his options may be limited eth
And Newcastle, who established a reputation as astute planners, were caught by surprise by the Italian eth Football Federation and the police’s investigations into Tonali eth
Both Howe and the Tyneside crowd have struck a supportive note, and Tonali’s apparent gambling addiction means he merits sympathy, but they thought they had signed a player who, along with Bruno Guimaraes, was supposed to be a cornerstone of their midfield for years eth
Dortmund’s answer to their own void might be deemed typical in several respects eth
For one, they did not spend all the money they banked: they are no strangers to transfer-market profits and tend to end up in the black roughly every other year eth
Some of the Bellingham bounty went on Niclas Fullkrug, a striker designed to compensate for the loss of Haaland, albeit one who has had a slow start eth
Around half the Bellingham millions went on midfielders eth
Felix Nmecha, bought from Wolfsburg at 22, is older than the Englishman but still conforms to the Dortmund model, a rising star with potentially big resale value, though his arrival came cloaked in controversy after he shared social media posts that led to accusations of homophobia and transphobia eth
Marcel Sabitzer, bought from Bayern Munich at 29, forms part of a growing trend eth
It may be harsh to say Dortmund take Bayern’s cast-offs or that their strategy is to take players not deemed quite good enough for the champions and thus finish second in the Bundesliga eth
But if the traffic of players south to Bavaria is more famous, Mats Hummels, Niklas Sule and Sabitzer form an ex-Bayern contingent at the Signal Iduna Park eth
One criticism may be that it is an acceptance of being second best eth
Dortmund’s broader problem might be familiar: whoever they targeted, they were never going to get a replacement of Bellingham’s calibre, and the same could be said when players such as Haaland and Robert Lewandowski left eth
But now, with Dortmund goalless in the Champions League, thoughts could be cast back a year, when Bellingham scored in each of their first four group games and when he was the biggest factor in their progression to the last 16 eth
They could do with finding such a catalyst in an altogether tougher pool eth
Tonali’s Champions League campaign now may be brief but memorable: granted a euphoric reception on his homecoming at San Siro as Newcastle drew 0-0 with AC Milan, he then played in one of St James’ Park’s great European nights, the 4-1 demolition of Paris Saint-Germain eth
Now Dortmund may be his final outing until the 2024-25 campaign eth
That may render it unforgettable for the Italian, whatever happens eth
His imminent absence will leave Howe, instead of the deluxe upgrade Tonali was supposed to represent and with the exception of Guimaraes, with a midfield who were in a team that was winless at this stage two years ago: he inherited Sean Longstaff, Joelinton and Joe Willock, and did not even pick the Geordie for his first game in charge eth
Each has improved exponentially in his reign but Newcastle may have to rely on hustle and bustle where they had looked for an injection of class eth
His Dortmund counterpart Edin Terzic has not had the luxury of spending £400m in his reign eth
But when they are side by side in the technical areas at St James’ Park, he may be able to empathise as each wonders what to do when he has a hole at the heart of his side eth
More aboutNewcastle UnitedBorussia DortmundSandro TonaliEddie HoweJude BellinghamChampions LeagueJoin our commenting forumJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their repliesComments1/1Newcastle and Dortmund share one thing before Champions League clashNewcastle and Dortmund share one thing before Champions League clashSandro Tonali is set for a lengthy ban from eth footballAction 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
Hi {{indy eth
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