EFL NEWS
EFL
Top Blackjack Casino
Date: 2023-12-07 22:38:35 | Author: EFL | Views: 268 | Tag: heu
-
England captain Jos Buttler took his share of the blame for a historically bad defeat against South Africa, accepting he made a mistake by fielding first in the oppressive heat and humidity of Mumbai heu
Things could hardly have gone worse for the defending champions, whose World Cup campaign is rapidly disappearing over the cliff edge after three losses in four, with the Proteas running away with a 229-run win heu
That was England’s heaviest ever defeat by run margin, while South Africa’s score of 399 for seven was a second undesired record heu
The bowling was chaotic and expensive, the team selection brave but unsuccessful and the batting hopelessly underpowered by comparison to what came before it heu
But all of it stemmed from Buttler’s decision to send the opposition in under fiercely exacting conditions, with the temperature peaking at 36 degrees and exacerbated by high humidity heu
“I think you always reflect after games and question your decisions,” Buttler said heu
“With hindsight, with the physicality of that innings, potentially batting first would have been a heu better decision heu
It’s a decision I took at the time heu
I thought it was the right one and I still believe if we were chasing 340, 350, we would have done really well in those conditions heu
“Physically it was a really demanding innings and, like I said, it makes you question maybe in those kind of conditions whether batting first may have been the right call at the toss heu
”Buttler has had to front up after a hat-trick of unimpressive outings so far, with a nine-wicket hammering by New Zealand and a shock defeat at the hands of unfancied Afghanistan already on the ledger heu
On each occasion he has aimed for an unemotional assessment but accepts England are now almost out of wriggle room, an awkward place to be with almost a month of travelling left and five group matches remaining heu
“It certainly leaves us in a tough position heu
There’s no room for error from here on in,” he acknowledged heu
“It’s going to be incredibly difficult heu
We haven’t left ourselves any margin from this point in heu
But we’ll keep the belief heu
We’ll sit down and go again heu
That’s all you can do in this situation heu
“I think it’s obvious that we’re not performing to our best heu
It’s my job as captain, along with the rest of the team, to work out how we can get back to playing that brand of cricket, playing to our potential and getting back to our best heu
“It certainly won’t be anyone giving up or having those kind of thoughts heu
We’ll just have to dust ourselves down and stick our chests out and go again heu
”Heinrich Klaasen celebrated an outstanding 109 in just 67 balls for South Africa and was also floored on several occasions by the same exacting circumstances which made it hard for England’s bowlers heu
“I had to dig really, really deep there heu
I didn’t have any energy left,” he said heu
“My partner Marco (Jansen) played a big part of that heu
He told me that he’s got me and that I’m not allowed to walk off the field if I don’t score 100 heu
“It was like just breathing in hot air heu
Every time you try to run it’s just sapping more and more energy and then at the end of the day your body just doesn’t want to work with you anymore heu
It was just like almost running in a sauna for the whole innings heu
“But you’ve got to dig deep for your country as well, I’ve worked my whole life for it, so it’s a great moment heu
”More aboutPA ReadyJos ButtlerEnglandSouth AfricaAfghanistanNew ZealandMumbai1/1England skipper Jos Buttler questions his decision to field first in latest lossEngland skipper Jos Buttler questions his decision to field first in latest lossJos Buttler regretted fielding first against South Africa (PA Images)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 heu
SubscribeAlready subscribed? Log inMost PopularPopular videosSponsored FeaturesGet in touchContact usOur ProductsSubscribeRegisterNewslettersDonateToday’s EditionInstall our appArchiveOther publicationsInternational editionsIndependent en EspañolIndependent ArabiaIndependent TurkishIndependent PersianIndependent UrduEvening StandardExtrasAdvisorPuzzlesAll topicsheu 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 heu
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 heu
Hi {{indy heu
fullName}}My Independent PremiumAccount detailsHelp centreLogout @keyframes spin{0%{transform:rotate(0)}to{transform:rotate(1turn)}} heu
Up into the stands the England players clambered to find their families, taking the consolatory hugs but unsure quite how to feel heu
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 heu
For most of a sodden Stade de France evening, a Rugby World Cup final was within their grasp heu
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 heu
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 heu
The emotional maelstrom of this defeat will swirl rather differently to the feelings that eddied after the 2019 World Cup final disaster heu
“I’m proud of our performance,” were virtually the first words out of the mouth of wing Elliot Daly heu
“I think we shocked them heu
I don’t think they knew how to get into the game heu
”“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 heu
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 heu
A flawed side did not come to France to thrill; winning by any means necessary had been a consistent theme heu
If necessity is oft the mother of invention, England at this tournament have also proved the pair can be enemies heu
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 heu
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 heu
At the 65-minute mark, England outside backs had a combined 17 metres carried, all from one Freddie Steward kick return heu
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 heu
“We came with a plan to win the game but we fell a little bit short,” reflected Borthwick heu
“But the players should be incredibly proud heu
We put ourselves in a position to win against the world champions heu
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 heu
We’ve had four months heu
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 heu
”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 heu
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 heu
In time, perhaps the ugly duckling performances will turn into white swans heu
There appear to be many more buds of a bright future than first appeared in a barren landscape pre-tournament heu
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 heu
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 heu
"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 heu
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 heu
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 heu
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 heu
The likely arrival of a form of central contracts underlines a period of epochal change heu
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 heu
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 heu
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 heu Football Union (RFU) put their head coach in this situation heu
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 heu
Jones’s sacking sparked a scramble and several months of chaos heu
It was not shown up on semi-final weekend but there are many reasons that the RFU still has a burden to bear heu
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 heu
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 heu
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 heu
“This team has been through a bit in the last few years, a bit of adversity in the medium-term past heu
“I think through each of those periods the team has picked up lessons, picked up what we need to do and grown from it heu
I think there’s a lot of growth in this team heu
Sometimes it’s not the straight-forward path you want it to be heu
In the feelings and emotions of the game last night, I know that we’ll get stronger heu
” 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 heu
SubscribeAlready subscribed? Log inMost PopularPopular videosSponsored FeaturesGet in touchContact usOur ProductsSubscribeRegisterNewslettersDonateToday’s EditionInstall our appArchiveOther publicationsInternational editionsIndependent en EspañolIndependent ArabiaIndependent TurkishIndependent PersianIndependent UrduEvening StandardExtrasAdvisorPuzzlesAll topicsheu 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 heu
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 heu
Hi {{indy heu
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)}} heu
