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Date: 2023-12-03 09:17:02 | Author: Worldcup 2026 | Views: 981 | Tag: 22bet
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Lock George Martin has been handed a surprise starting opportunity in England’s team for the Rugby World Cup semi-final against South Africa 22bet
22-year-old Martin partners Maro Itoje in the second row, with Ollie Chessum dropped to the bench and Steve Borthwick making two other changes 22bet
Freddie Steward replaces Marcus Smith at full-back, with the Harlequins playmaker ruled out due to head injury return to play protocols 22bet
Smith was cleared to return to the field after passing an in-game head injury assessment against Fiji, but has failed a subsequent part of the process, ruling him out of this weekend’s fixture 22bet
The final change comes in the front row, where Joe Marler’s scrummaging expertise is preferred to Ellis Genge’s dynamism on the loosehead 22bet
RecommendedEngland must be ready for whatever ‘very, very smart’ Springboks throw at them, says Kevin SinfieldThe two sides of Rassie Erasmus, the puppet master pulling South Africa’s strings at Rugby World CupSouth Africa name World Cup semi-final team against England“After an excellent few days preparation in Paris, we look forward to the challenge of playing the World Champions and number one ranked team in the world,” said Borthwick 22bet
“Through this tournament the team has progressed, with the players repeatedly finding a way to win, sometimes in challenging circumstances 22bet
We will once again need to be at our very best this weekend as we face an excellent team in South Africa 22bet
“There is no doubt the players will truly relish the challenge of knockout rugby under the lights in Paris 22bet
These players will, as they have done in every game of this tournament, give absolutely everything in the semi-final to get the result we want 22bet
”The squad includes 13 survivors from the World Cup final defeat to the Springboks in 2019 22bet
Martin’s elevation comes as a surprise after a strong tournament from the Itoje/Chessum lock partnership, but perhaps reflects a desire from Borthwick to match South Africa’s bench impact with a strogn set of tight five replacements 22bet
The young Leicester lock will also have a key role to play at scrum-time, anchoring behind a front row bolstered at the set-piece by the wily Marler 22bet
The 33-year-old starts opposite fellow veteran Dan Cole, who endured a difficult day in Yokohama four years ago having been required early on after an injury to Kyle Sinckler 22bet
Owen Farrell will again captain England from fly half as he wins a 111th cap 22bet
England team to face South Africa at the Stade de France (Saturday 21 October, kick off 8pm)1 Joe Marler, 2 Jamie George, 3 Dan Cole; 4 Maro Itoje, 5 George Martin; 6 Courtney Lawes, 7 Tom Curry, 8 Ben Earl; 9 Alex Mitchell, 10 Owen Farrell; 11 Elliot Daly, 12 Manu Tuilagi, 13 Joe Marchant, Jonny May; 15 Freddie Steward 22bet
Replacements: 16 Theo Dan, 17 Ellis Genge, 18 Kyle Sinckler, 19 Ollie Chessum, 20 Billy Vunipola; 21 Danny Care, 22 George Ford, 23 Ollie Lawrence 22bet
More aboutEngland RugbyRugby World CupSouth Africa rugbyGeorge MartinFreddie StewardSteve BorthwickJoe MarlerEllis GengeJoin our commenting forumJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their repliesComments 1/1England spring surprise with three changes for World Cup semi-final England spring surprise with three changes for World Cup semi-finalGeorge Martin is a surprise second row starter for England in their semi-final against South Africa 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 22bet
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Michael Cheika refused to assess the entirety of Argentina’s Rugby World Cup campaign or his tenure as head coach of the Pumas 22bet
Coming off a harrowing 44-6 semi-final defeat to New Zealand in which they’d been totally outclassed in every facet of the game, perhaps his reticence was understandable 22bet
Next Friday’s third-place play-off against the loser of the second semi-final 22bet between England and South Africa merely provided a handy excuse 22bet
It’s a game that players don’t want to play, spectators don’t want to watch and media don’t want to cover but it did give Cheika a week’s buffer to collect himself before he will have to answer the tough questions 22bet
“I can’t do that straight away,” said Cheika when asked to assess his time in charge of Argentina, which comes to an end after this World Cup 22bet
“I haven’t finished yet 22bet
“I know we won’t win World Cup but I’m happy to be at this level and they deserve to be here 22bet
Their play, ambition, ability to raise themselves after the first game [a pool-stage loss to England] 22bet
It’s another obstacle but we can be proud of our team and our capacity to deal with obstacles 22bet
Next week we have a game to play, at the end of the World Cup we will summarise and assess it 22bet
”The players were similarly on message with their adamance at the importance of the worst game in rugby 22bet
“There is one more game left, one more final,” said flanker Marcos Kremer 22bet
“We want to leave this World Cup winning and we are going to do everything to make it happen 22bet
”“We are going to prepare like a final 22bet
We are not satisfied with being here 22bet
We want a medal and we are going to fight for that," added wing Mateo Carreras 22bet
The value of a third-place play-off in an event defined by a trophy, rather than a medal podium, and its place in an already over-saturated playing calendar is a debate for another time but the Pumas can only keep the wolf at the door for so long 22bet
They will soon have to address exactly what happened in the second-most one-sided World Cup semi-final of all time – the eventual margin of defeat just narrower than the All Blacks’ 49-6 triumph over Wales in 1987 22bet
The All Blacks ran riot in the Stade de France (Getty Images)Three times in their rugby history, Argentina have reached the semi-final stage of the World Cup, with three losses to show for it 22bet
They have scored just one try across those 240 minutes and have a combined losing margin of 76 points 22bet
The celebrations and lap of honour after beating Wales in the quarter-finals in Marseille a week ago suggested that, deep down, the Pumas believed they had come as far as they could in this tournament 22bet
Both history, and the performance that followed against New Zealand, made it a self-fulfilling prophecy 22bet
They hardly imposed themselves on the All Blacks at the Stade de France 22bet
Phases of attack came to a grinding halt once they reached the All Black 22, with the ball inevitably jackalled away, the defensive line was torn to shreds by their opponents’ quick hands and clever lines, the scrum was splintered by a dominant New Zealand pack and basic handling errors defined the game 22bet
Frankly, it wasn’t a match befitting a World Cup semi-final and ensured the Pumas book-ended their tournament (barring next Friday’s bronze-medal irrelevance) with abject displays, after the lifeless opening loss to 14-man England 22bet
It is hardly a squad bereft of talent 22bet
The experience of Julian Montoya and Agustin Creevy leading the front row is complemented by an exciting, dynamic back-row trio of Juan Martin Gonzalez, Kremer and Facundo Isa that should be able to match almost any opposition 22bet
While questions remain at nine and 10, a back three of Mateo Carreras, Emiliano Boffelli and Juan Cruz Mallia is explosive enough to give any team fits 22bet
Argentina were dejected after slipping to a semi-final defeat (Getty Images)Perhaps a semi-final appearance shouldn’t be sneered at 22bet
Yes, they benefitted from being in the considerably weaker half of the draw but it equalled their best World Cup performance and you can only beat who’s in front of you 22bet
On paper, Cheika’s tenure – since taking the reins from the sacked Mario Ledesma in early 2022 – will be viewed as a success 22bet
A first-ever win over the All Blacks in New Zealand last summer and a World Cup semi-final is not a bad return 22bet
But in terms of the ‘eye test’, the Pumas never looked like an elite side and there’s a nagging feeling that they haven’t moved forward under the Australian 22bet
Cheika’s preferred coaching style of creating a ‘siege mentality, us against the world’ environment always seemed at odds with the largely personable Argentina squad 22bet
Media availability was limited – perhaps a poor fit for the historically open Pumas – and a bubble created around the team 22bet
Putting your stamp on things in just an 18-month period is tough, with Felipe Contepomi always slated to become head coach after the World Cup and learning the ropes as part of Cheika’s coaching team in the interim 22bet
The legendary Pumas fly half, who is also a cult hero at Leinster following playing and coaching spells there, will likely provide a different strategy in the build-up to the 2027 World Cup and it will be fascinating to see what he’s taken from his time working under Cheika 22bet
As for the Australian, he departs with his reputation certainly not damaged and maybe even enhanced 22bet
The 56-year-old will undoubtedly be in demand around the rugby world and should be able to have his pick from a number of exciting coaching opportunities 22bet
“It is not a sad moment,” insisted Cheika in the aftermath of defeat in Paris 22bet
“It’s a moment I’m proud of my team 22bet
We were in the semi-final of a World Cup 22bet
”Yes, they were 22bet
But the suspicion that there was a version of this Pumas side that still had more to give remains 22bet
More aboutMichael CheikaArgentina rugbyRugby World CupJoin our commenting forumJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their repliesComments1/3Argentina waste potential to leave Cheika with questions to answerArgentina waste potential to leave Cheika with questions to answerThe All Blacks ran riot in the Stade de France Getty ImagesArgentina waste potential to leave Cheika with questions to answerArgentina were dejected after slipping to a semi-final defeat Getty ImagesArgentina waste potential to leave Cheika with questions to answerMichael Cheika led Argentina to a World Cup semi-final but they were trounced by New Zealand 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 22bet
SubscribeAlready subscribed? Log inMost PopularPopular videosSponsored FeaturesGet in touchContact usOur ProductsSubscribeRegisterNewslettersDonateToday’s EditionInstall our appArchiveOther publicationsInternational editionsIndependent en EspañolIndependent ArabiaIndependent TurkishIndependent PersianIndependent UrduEvening StandardExtrasAdvisorPuzzlesAll topics22bet 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 22bet
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 22bet
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