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Date: 2023-12-04 07:21:12 | Author: Online Games | Views: 701 | Tag: phl
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New Zealand head coach Ian Foster says he’ll watch the second semi-final at the Rugby World Cup with popcorn in hand as he waits to find out who they will face in next Saturday’s final phl
The All Blacks thumped Argentina 44-6 at the Stade de France in the first semi-final on Friday evening as the best quarter-final weekend in the tournament’s history was followed by a damp squib to open up the last four phl
The second semi-final in Paris on Saturday evening should be a closer affair as England face South Africa, although the Springboks are heavy favourites to repeat their victory from the 2019 World Cup final phl
The winners will take on New Zealand in the showpiece next weekend and Foster is adamant he has no preference as to who his side face, although he is looking forward to watching the clash and is also eager to use the additional day’s rest the All Blacks will have ahead of that encounter to his advantage phl
“I’ll be watching it [England vs South Africa], probably have some popcorn,” said Foster in his post-match press conference phl
“I don’t care who wins phl
We’re very much in a focus on ourselves stage phl
“What the extra day [of preparation] does give us is a chance to have a break mentally and not spend too much juice worrying about who it is that we’ll play next week phl
“They’re both good teams phl
South Africa are playing some brilliant rugby but we’ve also seen the English team build away quietly phl
They’re starting to get really good at how they want to play phl
It should be an interesting contrast of styles phl
”Foster has endured some tough times during this World Cup cycle with the normally dominant All Blacks struggling at times and his job security being called into question phl
Ian Foster has helped guide New Zealand to the World Cup final (REUTERS)The fact they have reached a record fifth World Cup final, and the team appear to be having fun, could be seen as vindication for the head coach but he was keen to dismiss any notion of a personal revenge mission phl
“There’s not a personal agenda here, this is about the All Blacks and the team,” explained Foster phl
“Things have happened to individuals and to me, but the team comes first phl
Right now we’re making a lot of those decisions together as a group and it is working well phl
“You have to enioy your work phl
It’s not like it’s a focus for us to go out there and have fun, but to make sure we execute our game to the level we need to phl
The team takes a lot of pride when they do that phl
“The work the players and leaders are doing is a real credit to them phl
As you go through tournaments, you have to enjoy it phl
There is a lot of pressure, so if you don’t celebrate moments, it is a long old time phl
“I am proud to be part of this group, the coaches are linking well with the players and there is a nice synergy about it phl
But you know, one more week phl
”More aboutIan FosterAll BlacksNew Zealand rugbyRugby World CupJoin our commenting forumJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their repliesComments1/2‘I’ll have some popcorn’: All Blacks coach keen to learn final foes‘I’ll have some popcorn’: All Blacks coach keen to learn final foesIan Foster has helped guide New Zealand to the World Cup final REUTERS‘I’ll have some popcorn’: All Blacks coach keen to learn final foesIan Foster will watch the England vs South africa semi-final with bated breath 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 phl
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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 phl
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 phl
For most of a sodden Stade de France evening, a Rugby World Cup final was within their grasp phl
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 phl
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 phl
The emotional maelstrom of this defeat will swirl rather differently to the feelings that eddied after the 2019 World Cup final disaster phl
“I’m proud of our performance,” were virtually the first words out of the mouth of wing Elliot Daly phl
“I think we shocked them phl
I don’t think they knew how to get into the game phl
”“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 phl
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 phl
A flawed side did not come to France to thrill; winning by any means necessary had been a consistent theme phl
If necessity is oft the mother of invention, England at this tournament have also proved the pair can be enemies phl
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 phl
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 phl
At the 65-minute mark, England outside backs had a combined 17 metres carried, all from one Freddie Steward kick return phl
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 phl
“We came with a plan to win the game but we fell a little bit short,” reflected Borthwick phl
“But the players should be incredibly proud phl
We put ourselves in a position to win against the world champions phl
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 phl
We’ve had four months phl
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 phl
”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 phl
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 phl
In time, perhaps the ugly duckling performances will turn into white swans phl
There appear to be many more buds of a bright future than first appeared in a barren landscape pre-tournament phl
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 phl
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 phl
"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 phl
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 phl
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 phl
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 phl
The likely arrival of a form of central contracts underlines a period of epochal change phl
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 phl
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 phl
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 phl Football Union (RFU) put their head coach in this situation phl
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 phl
Jones’s sacking sparked a scramble and several months of chaos phl
It was not shown up on semi-final weekend but there are many reasons that the RFU still has a burden to bear phl
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 phl
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 phl
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 phl
“This team has been through a bit in the last few years, a bit of adversity in the medium-term past phl
“I think through each of those periods the team has picked up lessons, picked up what we need to do and grown from it phl
I think there’s a lot of growth in this team phl
Sometimes it’s not the straight-forward path you want it to be phl
In the feelings and emotions of the game last night, I know that we’ll get stronger phl
” 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 phl
SubscribeAlready subscribed? Log inMost PopularPopular videosSponsored FeaturesGet in touchContact usOur ProductsSubscribeRegisterNewslettersDonateToday’s EditionInstall our appArchiveOther publicationsInternational editionsIndependent en EspañolIndependent ArabiaIndependent TurkishIndependent PersianIndependent UrduEvening StandardExtrasAdvisorPuzzlesAll topicsphl 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 phl
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 phl
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