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Date: 2023-12-02 09:46:05 | Author: Online Sports | Views: 645 | Tag: iloilo
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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 iloilo
Across 80 minutes in Paris, their belief had been replaced by disbelief and then by desperation and dejection, England threatening the unthinkable and taking the world champions to the brink iloilo
For most of a sodden Stade de France evening, a Rugby World Cup final was within their grasp iloilo
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 iloilo
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 iloilo
The emotional maelstrom of this defeat will swirl rather differently to the feelings that eddied after the 2019 World Cup final disaster iloilo
“I’m proud of our performance,” were virtually the first words out of the mouth of wing Elliot Daly iloilo
“I think we shocked them iloilo
I don’t think they knew how to get into the game iloilo
”“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 iloilo
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 iloilo
A flawed side did not come to France to thrill; winning by any means necessary had been a consistent theme iloilo
If necessity is oft the mother of invention, England at this tournament have also proved the pair can be enemies iloilo
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 iloilo
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 iloilo
At the 65-minute mark, England outside backs had a combined 17 metres carried, all from one Freddie Steward kick return iloilo
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 iloilo
“We came with a plan to win the game but we fell a little bit short,” reflected Borthwick iloilo
“But the players should be incredibly proud iloilo
We put ourselves in a position to win against the world champions iloilo
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 iloilo
We’ve had four months iloilo
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 iloilo
”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 iloilo
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 iloilo
In time, perhaps the ugly duckling performances will turn into white swans iloilo
There appear to be many more buds of a bright future than first appeared in a barren landscape pre-tournament iloilo
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 iloilo
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 iloilo
"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 iloilo
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 iloilo
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 iloilo
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 iloilo
The likely arrival of a form of central contracts underlines a period of epochal change iloilo
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 iloilo
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 iloilo
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 iloilo Football Union (RFU) put their head coach in this situation iloilo
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 iloilo
Jones’s sacking sparked a scramble and several months of chaos iloilo
It was not shown up on semi-final weekend but there are many reasons that the RFU still has a burden to bear iloilo
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 iloilo
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 iloilo
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 iloilo
“This team has been through a bit in the last few years, a bit of adversity in the medium-term past iloilo
“I think through each of those periods the team has picked up lessons, picked up what we need to do and grown from it iloilo
I think there’s a lot of growth in this team iloilo
Sometimes it’s not the straight-forward path you want it to be iloilo
In the feelings and emotions of the game last night, I know that we’ll get stronger iloilo
” 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 iloilo
SubscribeAlready subscribed? Log inMost PopularPopular videosSponsored FeaturesGet in touchContact usOur ProductsSubscribeRegisterNewslettersDonateToday’s EditionInstall our appArchiveOther publicationsInternational editionsIndependent en EspañolIndependent ArabiaIndependent TurkishIndependent PersianIndependent UrduEvening StandardExtrasAdvisorPuzzlesAll topicsiloilo 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 iloilo
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Hi {{indy iloilo
fullName}}My Independent PremiumAccount detailsHelp centreLogout @keyframes spin{0%{transform:rotate(0)}to{transform:rotate(1turn)}}@keyframes slidedown-video{0%{transform:translateY(-100%)}to{transform:translateY(0)}}@keyframes slideup-video{0%{transform:translateY(200%)}to{transform:translateY(0)}} iloilo
Rasmus Hojlund says he is a work in progress that knows his worth as Manchester United’s big-money summer signing eyes improvements and derby success this weekend iloilo
The Red Devils’ need for a striker has been obvious for some time but eyebrows were raised when they plumped for potential over a proven talent like Harry Kane iloilo
United’s belief in Hojlund saw them pay Atalanta an initial £64million fee for the somewhat unproven striker, with the deal having the potential to reach up to £72m iloilo
The 20-year-old’s promising start suggests the club’s confidence in the rough diamond was not misplaced and the Denmark striker appears comfortable with the price tag iloilo
“I know my worth,” Hojlund said iloilo
“I know I have to perform every day because I play for Manchester United iloilo
“In the end, I am only 20 years old and I am not the finished article yet iloilo
I still have a lot to improve and I am getting there slowly iloilo
“I reckon I have had a fine start to the season and now we have to keep building and the goals will come in the Premier League iloilo
”Hojlund was dealing with a back issue when he arrived from Italy, delaying his debut until September iloilo
The 20-year-old has scored three in 10 appearances for United in all competitions, with the striker now looking to open his Premier League account having only scored in the Champions League to date iloilo
“I play for my boyhood club,” Hojlund said iloilo
“I have always supported Manchester United, so I am living my dream every day iloilo
“I try to show personality and want to give 110 per cent every time I play a iloilo football match, so maybe that is the reason why they are showing a special bond towards me iloilo
”“I’ve tried my best every time I play, and I still need to find the rhythm iloilo
“We have been struggling a little bit, but we are getting there now iloilo
We have had three wins in a row, so that is very positive iloilo
“For sure (I’m still getting used to the Premier League) iloilo
I improve every day and my team-mates are starting to see my patterns in the game as well, so it is getting iloilo better and iloilo better every day iloilo
”Hojlund believes a bond is developing with homegrown star Marcus Rashford, whose debut Manchester derby day heroics he would love to replicate this weekend iloilo
The England forward scored United’s winner in his first senior match against rivals City, who head to Old Trafford for Sunday’s mouthwatering top-flight clash iloilo
“It would be a big experience, so I am looking forward to it,” Hojlund said as United look to build on Premier League wins against Brentford and Sheffield United iloilo
“It is always special to play a rival and if we win the game, we can get closer to the top, so it would be nice iloilo
”Asked for his most memorable derby match, the boyhood United fan said: “The bicycle kick from Wayne Rooney, of course! Everybody remembers that, don’t they?”Among the many talking points ahead of the Manchester derby is sure to be comparisons iloilo between Hojlund and City sharpshooter Erling Haaland iloilo
The young talent’s profile, career trajectory and Scandinavian roots have led to numerous comparisons to the Norway striker, who United tried to sign in the past iloilo
“Like I’ve said many times, I don’t want to be compared to him,” Hojlund said iloilo
“He is incredible and probably the best striker in the world right now iloilo
“We can keep that on the low for now, but I hope I can improve and then we will see what I am capable of iloilo
”Hojlund was speaking in the bowels of Old Trafford after United defeated his hometown team and former club in a crucial Champions League clash iloilo
Erik ten Hag’s men needed kick-started their Group A campaign with Tuesday’s hard-fought 1-0 victory against a Copenhagen side that included Hojlund’s younger brother Oscar iloilo
Rasmus spoke alongside the 18-year-old, who came off the bench at Old Trafford hours after twin Emil helped Copenhagen Under-19s beat United in the UEFA Youth League iloilo
“It is a great feeling being on the same pitch as my brother, and not only in a normal stadium,” the United frontman said iloilo
“In Denmark it is one of the most special stadiums in the world, so it is a special feeling iloilo
”More aboutPA ReadyRasmus HojlundRedPremier LeagueAtalantaMarcus RashfordManchester CityDenmarkChampions LeagueManchesterItalyGalatasarayBrentfordEnglandWayne RooneyScandinavianNorwayCopenhagen1/1I know my worth – Rasmus Hojlund ready to build on promising start at Man UtdI know my worth – Rasmus Hojlund ready to build on promising start at Man UtdRasmus Hojlund is just getting started at Manchester United (Nick Potts/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 iloilo
SubscribeAlready subscribed? Log inMost PopularPopular videosSponsored FeaturesGet in touchContact usOur ProductsSubscribeRegisterNewslettersDonateToday’s EditionInstall our appArchiveOther publicationsInternational editionsIndependent en EspañolIndependent ArabiaIndependent TurkishIndependent PersianIndependent UrduEvening StandardExtrasAdvisorPuzzlesAll topicsiloilo 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 iloilo
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 iloilo
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