Worldcup 2026 NEWS
Worldcup 2026
Is gambling a problem in the Philippines?
Date: 2023-12-07 12:37:23 | Author: Worldcup 2026 | Views: 136 | Tag: 22bet
-
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
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 topics22bet 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 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
Hi {{indy 22bet
fullName}}My Independent Premium Account details Help centre Logout @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)}} 22bet
Rugby World Cup-winning sides are often defined by their captain, as teams become a reflection of their skipper 22bet
Only eight men have worn the metaphorical armband and lifted the Webb Ellis Cup, with each of them going down in history as an all-time great 22bet
From Francois Pienaar receiving the trophy from Nelson Mandela in 1995 to John Eales defining an Australian dynasty in 1999, through Martin Johnson dragging England to 2003 glory as the only northern hemisphere side to triumph and Richie McCaw’s place as probably the greatest of all, the only two-time winning captain in 2011 and 2015 – these men have led from the front to cement their status as legends 22bet
Saturday’s final 22bet between New Zealand and South Africa at the Stade de France offers another opportunity for two men to enhance their legacies but this particular match-up provides a fascinating contrast 22bet
On one side, Siya Kolisi stands in the traditional mould of inspirational leaders 22bet
His story, rising from poverty in the South African townships to become the Springboks’ first Black captain – in some ways, a huge burden to bear – is both remarkable and distinct from his predecessors 22bet
Yet the aura he has and the love and respect he garners is very much in line with McCaw, Johnson, Eales or the two other South African men to skipper a World Cup-winning side, Pienaar and 2007 captain John Smit 22bet
He made history as the first Black captain to win a World Cup four years ago and should he match McCaw by winning a second in Paris, there will be a legitimate claim to call him the greatest skipper of all time 22bet
Certainly, he engenders adoration in South Africa and adulation from the entire rugby world – it is almost impossible to sit in a press conference with him and not be impressed by Kolisi the orator and Siya the man, while he is also a titan on the field 22bet
"Siya transcends the game of rugby – he’s a symbol of hope for so many,” explains ex-Springbok prop and World Cup winner Tendai Mtawarira 22bet
“He came from nothing and became somebody iconic in the public eye 22bet
He means so much for South Africa 22bet
”Siya Kolisi became the first Black captain to win the men’s Rugby World Cup (Reuters)Yet the man he will shake hands with at the coin toss on Saturday and who will walk his team out less than a metre away has often provoked a very different reaction 22bet
Fairly or unfairly, Sam Cane has never captured the hearts of the New Zealand public in the same way that Kolisi has in South Africa 22bet
He’s largely unloved rather than beloved 22bet
And frankly, it’s not really his fault 22bet
His only real crime is that he’s not Richie McCaw but arguably the greatest player and certainly the greatest captain of all time is an unreasonably high bar to clear 22bet
Cane is an exceptional rugby player 22bet
He would have to be, because you don’t make more than 90 appearances in the All Blacks back row without being incredible, but the often prevailing opinion from supporters was summed up in an on-pitch comment by Ireland flanker/wind-up merchant Peter O’Mahony during the Test series 22bet between the sides last summer – “you’re just a s*** Richie McCaw”, yelled O’Mahony to the flanker 22bet
Sam Cane, left, will try to lead the All Blacks to a fourth World Cup title (Reuters)Cane became New Zealand’s starting No 7 when McCaw retired after the 2015 World Cup and assumed the captaincy upon Kieran Read’s departure following the tournament four years later 22bet
Following in the footsteps of McCaw, who had captained the All Blacks in 110 Tests, winning a ludicrous 97 of them, was an impossible job and he, along with coach Ian Foster, became a fall guy as performance levels and world ranking dropped during this current World Cup cycle 22bet
There were regular debates about whether Cane deserved a place in New Zealand’s best starting XV, let alone as skipper, and when he was injured during the warm-up of the World Cup opener against France, many on social media rejoiced as they felt the team was stronger with Dalton Papali’i promoted to the run-on side instead 22bet
It’s worth noting that France won that game, handing the All Blacks their only loss of the tournament so far 22bet
Now, they’re in a final and Cane was immense in both the quarter-final and semi-final victories 22bet
He may not have the raw athleticism of Papali’i but his work ethic, engine, grit, breakdown tenacity and dogged defence perfectly complement the skillsets of back-row teammates Shannon Frizell and Ardie Savea 22bet
In the narrow quarter-final win over Ireland, Cane topped the tackle charts with 22 and earned a number of timely turnovers in perhaps the performance of his career, while he has a brilliant 94 per cent tackle success rate across the tournament as a whole 22bet
“I think, personally, Sam is made for these sorts of Test matches, in the tough Test matches he does a great job,” said head coach Foster after the Ireland win 22bet
Kolisi and Cane will collide again in the World Cup final (Getty Images)Forwards coach Jason Ryan expanded on Cane’s role in the build-up to the final 22bet
“Sam has really grown as a captain,” said Ryan 22bet
“He has really fronted in the last couple of weeks on the field 22bet
He has good conversations and he has a phenomenal leadership group around him as well which is an important part of it 22bet
”He may never enjoy the unconditional love that his opposing skipper on Saturday does but becoming just the third All Black, after McCaw and 1987 winner David Kirk, to lift the Webb Ellis Cup would silence a lot of doubters 22bet
Kolisi and Cane have taken different paths to reach this point but when they step onto the Stade de France turf for the Rugby World Cup final, both are playing for the same legendary status 22bet
More aboutRugby World CupSiya KolisiSam CaneSouth Africa rugbyNew Zealand rugbyAll BlacksJoin our commenting forumJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their repliesComments1/4Beloved vs unloved: Contrasting captains Kolisi and Cane collideBeloved vs unloved: Contrasting captains Kolisi and Cane collideSiya Kolisi became the first Black captain to win the men’s Rugby World Cup ReutersBeloved vs unloved: Contrasting captains Kolisi and Cane collideSam Cane, left, will try to lead the All Blacks to a fourth World Cup title REUTERSBeloved vs unloved: Contrasting captains Kolisi and Cane collideKolisi and Cane will collide again in the World Cup final Getty ImagesBeloved vs unloved: Contrasting captains Kolisi and Cane collideSiya Kolisi, left, and Sam Cane will captain their sides in pursuit of the Rugby World Cup trophy on Saturday evening 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
Hi {{indy 22bet
fullName}}My Independent PremiumAccount detailsHelp centreLogout @keyframes spin{0%{transform:rotate(0)}to{transform:rotate(1turn)}} 22bet
