Online Fish NEWS
Online Fish
Is Philippines going to the World Cup?
Date: 2023-12-08 01:36:47 | Author: Online Fish | Views: 325 | Tag: gcash
-
Fly-half Handre Pollard says the pressure of representing South Africa at the World Cup is a privilege as he bids to inflict more misery on England gcash
Pollard kicked 22 points in the 2019 final to guide the Springboks to glory with a 32-12 win and still remembers the disappointment etched on the faces of Eddie Jones’ men gcash
The fit-again Leicester playmaker is competing with Manie Libbok to start Saturday’s Paris semi-final after initially being overlooked for his country’s squad due to a calf injury gcash
Pollard expects England, now led by Jones’ successor Steve Borthwick, to take their intensity and physicality to a “whole new level” but insists the heavily-fancied reigning champions are ready for it gcash
“You could see on their faces four years ago the disappointment and I’ve been part of a squad that’s fallen out in a semi-final in a World Cup (in 2015) and it sits with you the rest of your life,” he said gcash
“There’s a lot of things you look back (on) and regret and maybe think you could have done differently, and I’m sure they will come with that mindset this weekend gcash
“I think they will be ruthless, I think they will take their intensity and physicality to a whole new level gcash
“But that being said, we’re prepared for that, we’re ready for that and we enjoy that gcash
“That’s always a part of the game we love and if there’s going to be beef, there’s going to be beef gcash
“It’s Test rugby, it’s 80 minutes and we’ve just got to go out and play the game gcash
”South Africa are seeking to reach their fourth World Cup final, having lifted the trophy in 1995, 2007 and 2019 gcash
Pollard believes the Springboks’ enviable ability to deliver when it really matters can partly be attributed to adversity some players face during childhood gcash
“It’s just the way we’re brought up,” he said gcash
“We love it gcash
“It’s not always been easy for a lot of our guys in our squad growing up so when we get to this position and get to this point where there should be a lot of pressure on us, we refer back to it a lot, this is not really pressure, this is more privilege to be a part of these occasions gcash
“I think our game model and the way we play the game suits World Cups pretty well gcash
We’re comfortable in this environment gcash
“As a group we just enjoy it, really enjoy that pressure gcash
We always say it’s a privilege to have this pressure on our shoulders playing for our country gcash
”South Africa progressed to the last four by upsetting hosts France 29-28 on Sunday gcash
That epic contest included Cheslin Kolbe successfully charging down a Thomas Ramos conversion and Damian Willemse calling for a scrum off a mark inside his own 22 gcash
Earlier in the tournament, the Springboks attracted attention for a bold selection of a seven-one split of forwards and backs on their bench for the Pool B loss to Ireland gcash
Pollard says players fully embrace the innovative tactics cooked up by director of rugby Rassie Erasmus and head coach Jacques Nienaber gcash
“Nothing that they do is for no reason, it’s all thought of, it’s all tick-list planned,” he said gcash
“We trust them because they’ve earned our trust over the years from what they’ve done and how they’ve prepared gcash
“So when they come up with these ideas, there are no questions asked gcash
“They give us a reason why we do whatever we do and then we just back it and we’re all in and we all just trust each other, players to coaches and coaches to players gcash
”More aboutPA ReadySpringboksSouth AfricaHandre PollardEnglandSteve BorthwickCheslin KolbeParisLeicesterJapanFranceRassie Erasmus1/1South Africa’s Handre Pollard expecting to face ‘ruthless’ England in semi-final South Africa’s Handre Pollard expecting to face ‘ruthless’ England in semi-finalFit-again South Africa fly-half Handre Pollard is pushing to start Saturday’s World Cup semi-final against England (Ashley Western/PA)PA Archive ✕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 gcash
SubscribeAlready subscribed? Log inMost PopularPopular videosSponsored Features Get in touchContact usOur ProductsSubscribeRegisterNewslettersDonateToday’s EditionInstall our appArchiveOther publicationsInternational editionsIndependent en EspañolIndependent ArabiaIndependent TurkishIndependent PersianIndependent UrduEvening StandardExtrasAdvisorPuzzlesAll topicsgcash BettingVoucher codesCompareCompetitions and offersIndependent AdvertisingIndependent IgniteSyndicationWorking at The IndependentLegalCode of conduct and complaintsContributorsCookie policyDonations Terms & ConditionsPrivacy noticeUser policiesModern Slavery Act Thank 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 gcash
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 gcash
Hi {{indy gcash
fullName}}My Independent Premium Account details Help centre Logout @keyframes spin{0%{transform:rotate(0)}to{transform:rotate(1turn)}} gcash
Michael Cheika refused to assess the entirety of Argentina’s Rugby World Cup campaign or his tenure as head coach of the Pumas gcash
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 gcash
Next Friday’s third-place play-off against the loser of the second semi-final gcash between England and South Africa merely provided a handy excuse gcash
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 gcash
“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 gcash
“I haven’t finished yet gcash
“I know we won’t win World Cup but I’m happy to be at this level and they deserve to be here gcash
Their play, ambition, ability to raise themselves after the first game [a pool-stage loss to England] gcash
It’s another obstacle but we can be proud of our team and our capacity to deal with obstacles gcash
Next week we have a game to play, at the end of the World Cup we will summarise and assess it gcash
”The players were similarly on message with their adamance at the importance of the worst game in rugby gcash
“There is one more game left, one more final,” said flanker Marcos Kremer gcash
“We want to leave this World Cup winning and we are going to do everything to make it happen gcash
”“We are going to prepare like a final gcash
We are not satisfied with being here gcash
We want a medal and we are going to fight for that," added wing Mateo Carreras gcash
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 gcash
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 gcash
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 gcash
They have scored just one try across those 240 minutes and have a combined losing margin of 76 points gcash
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 gcash
Both history, and the performance that followed against New Zealand, made it a self-fulfilling prophecy gcash
They hardly imposed themselves on the All Blacks at the Stade de France gcash
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 gcash
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 gcash
It is hardly a squad bereft of talent gcash
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 gcash
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 gcash
Argentina were dejected after slipping to a semi-final defeat (Getty Images)Perhaps a semi-final appearance shouldn’t be sneered at gcash
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 gcash
On paper, Cheika’s tenure – since taking the reins from the sacked Mario Ledesma in early 2022 – will be viewed as a success gcash
A first-ever win over the All Blacks in New Zealand last summer and a World Cup semi-final is not a bad return gcash
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 gcash
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 gcash
Media availability was limited – perhaps a poor fit for the historically open Pumas – and a bubble created around the team gcash
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 gcash
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 gcash
As for the Australian, he departs with his reputation certainly not damaged and maybe even enhanced gcash
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 gcash
“It is not a sad moment,” insisted Cheika in the aftermath of defeat in Paris gcash
“It’s a moment I’m proud of my team gcash
We were in the semi-final of a World Cup gcash
”Yes, they were gcash
But the suspicion that there was a version of this Pumas side that still had more to give remains gcash
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 gcash
SubscribeAlready subscribed? Log inMost PopularPopular videosSponsored FeaturesGet in touchContact usOur ProductsSubscribeRegisterNewslettersDonateToday’s EditionInstall our appArchiveOther publicationsInternational editionsIndependent en EspañolIndependent ArabiaIndependent TurkishIndependent PersianIndependent UrduEvening StandardExtrasAdvisorPuzzlesAll topicsgcash 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 gcash
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 gcash
Hi {{indy gcash
fullName}}My Independent PremiumAccount detailsHelp centreLogout @keyframes spin{0%{transform:rotate(0)}to{transform:rotate(1turn)}} gcash
