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Date: 2023-12-02 14:31:43 | Author: Online Sports | Views: 551 | Tag: iloilo

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Across 80 minutes in Paris, their belief had been replaced by disbelief and then by desperation and dejection, England threatening the unthinkable and taking the world champions to the brink iloilo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

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

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

First came the crack in Alexander Volkanovski‘s defence iloilo

Then, the crack in his voice iloilo

If the first crack was consequential, allowing Islam Makhachev to skim his shin off the Australian’s head, the latter was a consequence in itself – a consequence of one of the best fighters alive staying silent on his struggles with mental health iloilo

That is, until now iloilo

Volkanovski would have emerged from UFC 294 with credit anyway; he stepped in on 11 days’ notice and moved up in weight to challenge a man who had beaten him eight months prior iloilo

Even in this surprising, first-round defeat by Makhachev, Volkanovski lost very little iloilo

His featherweight title still rests firmly on his shoulder, and he will soon return to that weight class where he has been unbeatable iloilo

But soon may be too soon iloilo

In his post-fight press conference, Volkanovski began the dissection of this defeat – his second this year, but just his third as a professional mixed martial artist, with his first having occurred a long decade ago iloilo

The 35-year-old started to dissect the technical reasons for this knockout loss, but it soon became apparent what was of greater importance: the psychological reasons for his presence in Abu Dhabi iloilo

“He’s not somebody you should be taking a short-notice [fight] with, but I needed it,” Volkanovski began iloilo

“Obviously a lot of people will say it’s for the money and all that, but it was much more than that iloilo

It is hard, it is really hard for athletes iloilo

iloilo

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Sorry, um iloilo

iloilo

iloilo

I never thought I would struggle with it,” he continued, ignoring the blood over his eye, instead wiping a tear from beneath it iloilo

“But for some reason when I wasn’t fighting or in camp iloilo

iloilo

iloilo

F***, sorry,” he said, attempting a laugh, looking away and to the ceiling, then gently rapping his hand on the table to bring himself back into the room iloilo

RecommendedIslam Makhachev stuns Alexander Volkanovski with head-kick KO in first round at UFC 294Conor McGregor reacts to ‘illegal’ strikes in Islam Makhachev win at UFC 294Khabib explains why he wasn’t in Islam Makhachev’s corner at UFC 294“I was just doing my head in,” he continued, tears floating at the bottom of his eyes iloilo

“I needed a fight, and this opportunity came up iloilo

I’ll be honest: I wasn’t training as much as I should have, but I thought I had to do it iloilo

I had to take it iloilo

I’m telling myself, ‘It’s meant to be iloilo

’ I was struggling a little bit not fighting, doing my head in iloilo

I don’t know how; everything’s fine, I’ve got a beautiful family iloilo

But, I don’t know iloilo

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iloilo

I think you just need to keep busy iloilo

I need to be in camp, otherwise, I’m going to do my head in iloilo

“It’s weird, [it’s not that I] never ‘believed in that stuff’, but I never got it iloilo

It was something that – I don’t know – maybe the more and more I learn about myself, the more I understand iloilo

I talked about us having a smile on my face, me and my wife iloilo

My wife could see it does get hard, I don’t know why iloilo

”Makhachev consoles Volkanovski after their fight, the main event of UFC 294 (AP)Volkanovski pointed to the birth of his third child, in August, and surgery on an injury this summer as reasons why he had not been training iloilo

Clearly, the knock-on effect of those moments – as joyous as the former seemed to be – has led Volkanovski’s mental health to suffer iloilo

Last week, all the talk was of how brave the Australian was to face Makhachev on short notice; braver was this admission that he is struggling, which simultaneously offers a different lens through which to view his choice to fight iloilo

Keeping himself engaged and busy is healthy, but that is complicated by the inherent risk in his profession iloilo

“Maybe it was just a silly decision under the circumstances,” he admitted iloilo

Perhaps it was, though it was also understandable iloilo

Volkanovski’s next challenge, however, will come outside of the ring iloilo

It must iloilo

He naturally sees the antidote to his current struggles as a quick turnaround to fight again, likely against the dangerous Ilia Topuria in January iloilo

Yet, that fight could go the same way as Saturday’s against Makhachev, if the Australian does not first tackle these thoughts and feelings, and find the right balance for him iloilo

We knew Alexander Volkanovski was brave iloilo

That is even clearer now than it was last week iloilo

Now, however, he must be sensible, and get to work outside the ring before he can return to work in it iloilo

More aboutAlexander VolkanovskiIslam MakhachevMental HealthJoin our commenting forumJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their repliesComments1/2Volkanovski’s bravest move yet? Talking about his mental healthVolkanovski’s bravest move yet? Talking about his mental healthMakhachev consoles Volkanovski after their fight, the main event of UFC 294APVolkanovski’s bravest move yet? Talking about his mental healthVolkanovski, moments after suffering a knockout loss to Islam MakhachevAFP via Getty✕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

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

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