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Date: 2023-12-02 13:41:22 | Author: Online Gaming | Views: 776 | Tag: football
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In the minutes after a thrilling, thumping quarter-final in Marseille, the Stade Velodrome DJ reached into his record collection and plucked out some early Eighties Elton John football
It felt like an appropriate soundtrack football
On a weekend where Wales, Ireland and France faded away, England – somehow, some way – are still standing football
Talk of a hemispheric shift proved premature, with a southern sweep elsewhere leaving Steve Borthwick’s side the only unbeaten outfit left in this odd World Cup football
A team that once never could have hoped to win now find themselves in the final four; the Six Nations’ hopes at this tournament rest, almost unfathomably, with England football
Not that one would expect too many Welsh, Irish or French supporters to seek comfort in an embrace of white cotton football
For France and Ireland, particularly, it will rankle to have used the last four years so brilliantly to build a contender and find that it is England’s rushed construction that has endured football
There is still every chance that Borthwick’s new-build comes crashing down once subjected to a Springboks storm, but so far England have proved, just about, up to code football
RecommendedFrance suffer painful symmetry with Ireland as Springboks continue southern dominanceOwen Farrell silences critics as England survive Fiji fightbackWounded warrior Dan Biggar bows out to usher in next Welsh generationAfter the best rugby weekend in recent memory, the prospect of a couple of damp squib semi-finals, sadly, looms football
But World Cups can be strange beasts, and England are already summoning the spirit of 2019, when they rose to meet and beat the All Blacks with a high-water mark performance that England still have not come close to reaching again football
A common theme among the recollections of the semi-final week four years ago was the clarity and certainty with which England approached the game, knowing on Monday or Tuesday that a final place would be theirs football
The job for Borthwick, an assistant then, is to imbue that same sense of conviction in a similar group now carrying significantly more mental scarring football
Of course, it was South Africa themselves who inflicted the deepest of psychological cuts, England’s inability to put anything on the field in the Yokohama final still a sore subject among the squad football
“Some players will use [the 2019 final] as motivation, some players will take that as a brilliant learning into this week, and hopefully that’s what they will bring,” attack coach Richard Wigglesworth said on Monday football
“But I wouldn’t like to pre-empt what [effect] feelings from four years ago have on this game football
On Saturday night, we need to be very clear that this is a semi-final in 2023, and nothing to do with 2019 football
England were beaten by South Africa in the 2019 Rugby World Cup final (Getty )“I think what we need to be careful of is pushing the emotional button too many times this week football
We need the emotion right on Saturday night, not before football
We need to make sure we control the emotional energy football
“We will go through the parts of our gameplan, we will layer those on and make sure we check and refine those parts of the plan football
We will make sure that we are fresh going into Saturday night both physically and mentally football
”Borthwick is likely to stick with a broadly similar team, though may consider another tweak in the back three football
It wasn’t that Marcus Smith, bloodied mouth and all, had a bad game against Fiji – his head coach was particularly keen to talk up his bravery in defence afterwards – but South Africa are likely to test whoever occupies the England 15 shirt rather more in the air football
Freddie Steward’s prowess under the high ball could be a rather useful attacking option against a blitz defence that can leave opportunities for an intelligent kicking game football
If Steward is returned to the starting side, it could leave George Ford and Smith vying for a single bench spot, with Ollie Lawrence continuing to be impactful as the bench centre football
While captain Owen Farrell took the plaudits, the performances of Ben Earl, answering his own call for England’s big-game players to step up, and Ollie Chessum, a physical tone-setter, alongside more familiar faces augur well in a side in need of new stars football
Ben Earl and Owen Farrell were among England’s standouts against Fiji (Getty Images)But another level will simply have to be found football
“We are probably talking about one of the best rugby teams to ever do it, aren’t we?” Wigglesworth said, illustrating the challenge England are facing football
“To be able to beat France, the form they are in, in their own back yard, that was a special performance from an incredible team football
”A couple of England players themselves admitted afterwards that they cannot afford the shaky 10 minutes that so nearly allowed Fiji a famous World Cup day football
While they were able to claw their way to victory on Sunday, South Africa are a side capable of putting England in a hole from which there will be no climbing out – as they showed in the final four years ago football
“We still don’t feel like we’ve put 80 minutes together of real, smart international test rugby,” Earl stressed football
“It’s not glamorous stuff, it’s just the odd moment football
I think some individual errors let a team like Fiji in, and they are a hard team to stop when they are rumbling football
We are football better for that, and we are in a semi-final among the best four teams in the world football
We’ll have a crack football
”More aboutEngland RugbyRugby World CupOwen FarrellBen EarlRichard WigglesworthFiji RugbySouth Africa rugbyOllie ChessumJoin our commenting forumJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their repliesComments 1/3The one England team change to combat ‘incredible’ Springboks The one England team change to combat ‘incredible’ SpringboksEngland were beaten by South Africa in the 2019 Rugby World Cup final Getty ImagesThe one England team change to combat ‘incredible’ SpringboksBen Earl and Owen Farrell were among England’s standouts against Fiji Getty ImagesThe one England team change to combat ‘incredible’ SpringboksEngland clung on against Fiji to set up a rematch of the 2019 World Cup final 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 football
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Test centurion Courtney Lawes will retire from England duty following the Rugby World Cup football
The 34-year-old’s bid to finish his international career on a high was cruelly ended by Saturday’s heartbreaking 16-15 semi-final loss to South Africa in Paris football
Vice-captain Lawes is a veteran of four World Cups, two British and Irish Lions tours and one of only five Englishmen to be capped 100 times football
Steve Borthwick’s side will return home from France following Friday evening’s bronze-medal match against pool-stage opponents Argentina football
Lawes, who has made 105 international appearances across 15 years, said: “I haven’t told Steve yet! But I will let him know football
“I’ve said to the boys, anyone that’s asked football
I think it’s time football
I’ve done four World Cups, so I’m pretty happy with that football
“It’s a bit of an end of an era, but it’s been a real honour for me to represent England for so long football
It flies by football
“I’m proud of the journey I’ve been on football
It’s not always been the ups football
Plenty of downs in there, but I’ve pushed through football
“I’m not an emotional person really, but it’s just been a huge honour for me football
“To be able to finish with this group, it’s something I’ll treasure forever football
”England travelled to the World Cup in poor form and with many pundits dismissive of their prospects football
But they came agonisingly close to reaching a second successive final after leading the reigning champions for all but five minutes of an enthralling last-four encounter which was settled by Handre Pollard’s late penalty football
“It’s one of those where we thought we had it, but let it slip away at the same time,” said Lawes football
“But we’ve proved a lot of people wrong football
You give it all you’ve got football
It’s sport, isn’t it?“That’s what it means at the highest level football
You get a couple of things wrong and get punished football
“But a lot of people thought we’d have struggled, and in the end we were unlucky to lose football
”Lawes made his England debut against Australia in 2009 when head coach Borthwick was team captain football
The flanker was a beaten finalist against the Springboks in 2019 and also played in the 2011 and 2015 tournaments, in addition to representing the Lions in 2017 and 2021 football
He believes England have a bright future under Borthwick and is determined to sign off by helping the team finish third football
“We showed to everyone what it means to play for this team,” said Lawes football
“Play for your country and the boys alongside you football
“I think people can see now what a good coach he is – and where this team can really go football
“We want to finish on a high football
It’s important for us to finish properly and send us all off on a good win football
”Father-of-four Lawes joined World Cup-winning prop Jason Leonard and international team-mates Ben Youngs, Owen Farrell and Dan Cole on a select list of England centurions in August by captaining his country in a shock warm-up defeat to Fiji at Twickenham football
He waved to fans at Stade de France following England’s dramatic elimination and intends to spend more time with his children while continuing to playing for Northampton football
“The kids are at that age where they need their dad around,” he said football
“It will be good to be with them more, to provide some well-needed structure to the mob football
“As hard as it is being away from your family, you almost have another family football
“You really feel like that, especially when you’re away in camps like World Cup camps football
It’s five months, staying with your brothers football
“I’ll definitely miss the boys, the banter and all the stuff we get up to when we’re not training football
I’ll miss the hard work as well football
“And I’ll definitely miss pulling the jersey on and giving it everything football
”More aboutPA ReadyCourtney LawesEnglandSouth AfricaBritish and Irish LionsStade De FranceSpringboksAustraliaLionsBen YoungsOwen FarrellDan ColeFijiParis1/1Courtney Lawes to retire from England duty when Rugby World Cup endsCourtney Lawes to retire from England duty when Rugby World Cup endsEngland’s Courtney Lawes is preparing to wave goodbye to Test rugby (Adam Davy/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 football
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