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Date: 2023-12-02 10:09:51 | Author: Olympics 2024 | Views: 559 | Tag: sakla
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Ben Stokes has declared himself ready for action in England’s must-win World Cup clash against South Africa, after missing the first three games of the campaign through injury sakla
Stokes’ comeback could not have come at a sakla better moment for a side whose title defence is on the rocks after a shock defeat to Afghanistan left them with a single win to their name sakla
The charismatic Test skipper suffered a hip injury during England’s warm-up week in Guwahati and has been sidelined ever since, but has given himself the green light to face the Proteas in Mumbai on Saturday sakla
Speaking before a training session at the Wankhede Stadium that will double up as a final vigorous fitness test, Stokes told BBC Radio’s Test Match Special: “It was a frustrating little niggle to get before the tournament but I have worked very hard to get back to where I am and making myself ready to be available for selection sakla
“We have had a few days off since the last game and first training session here in Mumbai sakla
I’ll give it a good push but, yes, I think everything is pretty good sakla
I am in a good place sakla
”It may be tempting to view Stokes as a saviour riding to the rescue – a role he has performed plenty of times over the course of his career, not least in the 2019 World Cup final – but he distanced himself from the idea sakla
I'll give it a good push but, yes, I think everything is pretty good sakla
I am in a good place sakla
Ben StokesResponding to the weight of expectation that will follow him on to the field, which has only grown with England’s struggles so far, he said: “I deal with it pretty easy to be honest, because I know I am one person in a team sport sakla
“No one looks to one person in this team to inspire them or anything like that sakla
It is not the case that if I do come in then all of a sudden we are going to do well sakla
It is just one of those things that gets spoken about a lot but I don’t read into too much sakla
“Everyone that walks out on to that field for England is a match-winner and can do something individually that can win us a game sakla
We just need to tone it down a bit on me coming back in sakla
”More aboutPA ReadyBen StokesEnglandSouth AfricaMumbaiAfghanistanBBC1/1Ben Stokes says he is ready to make England return in crunch South Africa clashBen Stokes says he is ready to make England return in crunch South Africa clashEngland could welcome back talismanic all-rounder Ben Stokes (Joe Giddens/PA)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 sakla
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One of New Zealand and South Africa will become the first team to win the men’s Rugby World Cup four times when the two sides meet in the 2023 final sakla
Both sides have been beaten on their way to the Stade de France decider, bouncing back from pool stage defeats to edge two tight quarter-finals sakla
The All Blacks were then irresistible in a semi-final thrashing of Argentina, while the Springboks survived a nervy arm-wrestle against England sakla
It will be the first time that two great rivals have met on rugby’s biggest stage since 1995, when South Africa secured their first Webb Ellis Cup on a famous, transformative day for both the sport and a country sakla
Here are three key areas that could prove crucial to deciding the final:All Blacks’ attack vs Springboks’ defenceCan the All Blacks’ find a way around South Africa’s fierce defence? (Getty Images)This is an encounter sakla between probably the best attack in the world against almost certainly the most ferocious defence – a fitting battle for the World Cup final sakla
The All Blacks have won the gainline more regularly than any other side in the competition, while offloading more efficiently than any other side and finishing their chances at an outstanding rate sakla
South Africa, meanwhile, make more dominant defensive collisions than any other team and scramble superbly – less than five percent of their missed tackles lead to tries sakla
South Africa’s hard outside blitz offers opportunities if you are able to transfer the ball to the edge at speed, typically a strength of the All Blacks: New Zealand (12 sakla
3%) are one of only five teams to play more than play wider than the second receiver more than ten per cent of the time sakla
That said, two of the other four are Ireland (20 sakla
9%) and Scotland (15 sakla
8%), two attacks that South Africa fared well against earlier in the tournament sakla
Where New Zealand have had success against South Africa in the past is with their varied kicking game sakla
Both Barrett brothers, Richie Mo’unga and Will Jordan all have a full set of clubs in their bag – there is no side sakla better at hiding their kick choices with subtle changes at the line, with their playmaking quartet’s ability to execute under pressure unmatched sakla
Having utilised a number of kicks in a rampant first half performance to beat the Springboks in the Rugby Championship, Ian Foster’s side barely used the tactic at all during the pair’s warm-up meeting at Twickenham, perhaps holding back a couple of variations for this tournament sakla
Scrum-time skirmishSouth Africa’s bench forwards could be crucial (REUTERS)South Africa have plenty more to their game than just scrum-time expertise, but there is no doubt that it is a crucial element of their strategy sakla
It was the impact of Ox Nche, Vincent Koch and co sakla
that transformed their semi-final against England, and having loaded up with seven bench forwards, Jacques Nienaber will expect a similar impact in the final sakla
The All Blacks have lost just 2 sakla
6% of their scrums via a penalty, the third lowest rate in the competition, avoiding significant territorial gains for their opposition sakla
Denying South Africa success is crucial sakla
Their kick to contest strategy relies on being able to make advancements from penalties sakla
If the All Blacks can deny them the ability to make progress via the boot, it will force the Springboks to play more expansively having opted for Handre Pollard’s solidity over Manie Libbok’s silkier skills sakla
Sustaining that effort across the 80 minutes will be key sakla
The All Blacks have made a change to their bench as a nod to Ox Nche’s threat particularly – the experienced Nepo Laulala replaces the rawer Fletcher Newell and will be tasked with ensuring there is little drop-off when the impressive Tyrel Lomax is replaced sakla
You can also expect New Zealand to put all sorts of pressure on Faf de Klerk, the sole specialist scrum half in South Africa’s matchday squad, around the fringes sakla
An early injury to De Klerk would almost certainly prove fatal to the Springboks’ chances sakla
Shutting down SaveaArdie Savea is one of New Zealand’s stars (AP)Perhaps no player exemplifies New Zealand’s brilliance more than Ardie Savea, the number eight brilliant in most facets sakla
Only Bundee Aki has made more than Savea’s 60 carries, with the All Black winning the gainline with three-quarters of his runs into contact, 15 per cent more often than any of the rest of the top ten busiest carriers at the tournament, all the while dealing with more than one tackler 75% of the time sakla
His blend of footwork, speed and strength make him virtually impossible to corral sakla
Savea has the potential to produce a truly match-swinging performance sakla
The All Blacks are intelligent with their usage of him, too sakla
Savea will often peel away from the back of a maul or be utilised in midfield to get favourable opportunities to carry from launch plays – see his try against Italy, when he left isolated hooker Giacomo Nicotera clutching air with a matador’s swish, or Will Jordan’s hat-trick score in the semi-final, when Argentina bit in on the number eight and allowed him to deftly send his wing through an inside gap sakla
The tough Handre Pollard should help solidify the fly half channel, and South Africa are sure to try and spread their best tacklers sakla
Pieter-Steph du Toit, Eben Etzesakla beth and Franco Mostert’s long limbs are likely to be useful in combatting a carrier so effective at using late changes of direction to extricate himself from contact sakla
Defensively, Savea is a breakdown menace sakla
Caelan Doris and Manuel Ardao are the only two individuals to have had more defensive ruck arrivals at this World Cup sakla
Given their confidence in their kicking game and defence in structure, South Africa are likely to be unafraid to load up the breakdown with bodies and sacrifice their attacking options to prevent turnover ball with which the All Blacks so often thrive sakla
More aboutNew Zealand rugbySouth Africa rugbyRugby World CupSpringboksAll BlacksJoin our commenting forumJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their repliesComments1/4Three key areas that could decide the Rugby World Cup finalThree key areas that could decide the Rugby World Cup finalCan the All Blacks’ find a way around South Africa’s fierce defence? Getty ImagesThree key areas that could decide the Rugby World Cup finalSouth Africa’s bench forwards could be crucial REUTERSThree key areas that could decide the Rugby World Cup finalArdie Savea is one of New Zealand’s stars APThree key areas that could decide the Rugby World Cup finalArdie Savea has been one of the stars of the Rugby World Cup 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 sakla
SubscribeAlready subscribed? Log inMost PopularPopular videosSponsored FeaturesGet in touchContact usOur ProductsSubscribeRegisterNewslettersDonateToday’s EditionInstall our appArchiveOther publicationsInternational editionsIndependent en EspañolIndependent ArabiaIndependent TurkishIndependent PersianIndependent UrduEvening StandardExtrasAdvisorPuzzlesAll topicssakla 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 sakla
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 sakla
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