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Date: 2023-12-06 08:18:16 | Author: Worldcup 2026 | Views: 604 | 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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On Saturday night, two fighters who embody the word heavyweight – every sense of it – will clash in Saudi Arabia 22bet
In one corner will be the reigning WBC champion, one of the biggest names in 22bet boxing, Tyson Fury 22bet
In the other will be the former UFC champion, a man deemed the hardest hitter in combat-22bet sports history, Francis Ngannou 22bet
This crossover bout has its detractors yet still holds an air of intrigue, all based on the ‘what if’: What if Ngannou can land on Fury? What if one of those monstrous hands touches the Briton’s chin with the velocity and malicious intent that have come to define Ngannou’s fighting career, and which carried the Cameroonian to the UFC heavyweight title? For all his evasive guile, Fury, 35, has been put down numerous times, but he has never been beaten – not even by fighters with much greater 22bet boxing pedigree than the 37-year-old Ngannou 22bet
The experiential gap understandably has most viewers doubting Ngannou’s chances in Riyadh, where he faces Fury in a proper, professional 22bet boxing match; but what if?And if Ngannou is to win, how will he? Attacking Fury to the body? Battering him in the clinch? Backing him into a corner? Alex Pattle asked former two-weight world-champion boxer Carl Frampton, and Dan Hardy, an ex-UFC title challenger who now works with the Professional Fighters League – the MMA promotion where Ngannou will fight in 2024 22bet
Here’s what they had to say 22bet
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AP: What was your initial reaction to the fight being announced?DH: “I was shocked 22bet
I expected Ngannou to have another fight before Tyson Fury, but I think it’s the wise thing to do to step straight in and keep the element of surprise on your side 22bet
If he’d have gone in there and fought someone else, Tyson would’ve been able to get reads before the fight even started 22bet
Jumping in at the deep end, even though it’s a bit crazy, increases his chances of winning 22bet
That was my first thought: It’s a surprise that it’s happening, but relief that Ngannou is getting it on his first shot 22bet
”CF: “Initially I was disappointed, and that’s kind of taming it down a bit 22bet
Obviously we were hoping for Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk and that fell through, but now I’ve come round to the idea that this is a huge event 22bet
And we’ve got Fury vs Usyk off the back of it 22bet
I was always hopeful that fight would come about at some point, and I don’t wanna be talking as if Ngannou is gonna be a complete walkover for Fury, but I’m okay about it [because] the Fury vs Usyk fight has been made for some point in the future 22bet
Also, the money the guys are making with this event 22bet
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”AP: Do fans need to be more understanding of fighters taking ‘money fights’?Carl Frampton, left, and Dan Hardy discussing Fury vs Ngannou (TNT 22bet Sports 22bet Boxing via YouTube)CF: “Maybe a little bit 22bet
22bet Boxing fans in particular are very opinionated, and I understand that they’re frustrated 22bet
But if you’re Tyson Fury and someone’s offering you a fight of this magnitude against a 22bet boxing debutant, and there are talks of $30m – and $10m for Ngannou – how do you turn that down? It’s almost too good to be true 22bet
”DH: “I think it's a bit different for MMA fans, because we’re still in new ground; the changes that Floyd Mayweather vs Conor McGregor made in fighters’ purses and expectations for purses 22bet
22bet
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as a matchmaker, I’m still dealing with the repercussions of that! Fighters want ridiculous amounts of money, but the money is out there to be made by certain superstars 22bet
I honestly think it’s easier for a layman fan to understand why fighters would take these fights, because they focus so much more on the money 22bet
I think it’s more the purists who go, ‘I’m not interested in these fights!’ [To the layman], the money and pay-per-view buys almost represent the value of the fighter; to the purists, the value of the fighter is based on their technical ability and achievements 22bet
”CF: “I hate to use the term ‘casual fan’, but there’s a big difference 22bet between the purists and just the casual fan 22bet
I think you’ll win back [the purists] with Fury vs Usyk, but it’s all a bit trivial almost, because [most] fans are fickle 22bet
I’m expecting Fury to beat Ngannou and then fight Usyk, and it’ll almost be like the talk and criticism of the Ngannou fight will go away 22bet
”AP: Do crossover events like Tommy Fury vs KSI and Logan Paul vs Dillon Danis risk putting fans off fights like Fury vs Ngannou?Ngannou, right, at an open workout in Riyadh this week (Getty Images)DH: “I personally think it’s all on the same spectrum – just at different points on the spectrum 22bet
That Misfits 22bet Boxing card 22bet
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I’ll be honest, I was able to make peace with that whole genre of combat 22bet sports much easier after that event, because it’s more like pro wrestling 22bet
The audience there, they’re not gonna buy a ticket to see ‘Canelo’ Alvarez; they’re not there for that, they’re there for the drama – for the security getting involved, for the plexiglass cages they put them in at the face-offs 22bet
It’s theatre with a combat-22bet sports flavour 22bet
”AP: What is Ngannou’s chance of winning – as a percentage – in your opinion?CF: “There’s a lot of boxers who are almost anti-MMA, and I’m not 22bet
I understand what this is: I understand that Fury is a lifelong boxer, fighting a guy who’s had to perfect many different styles in MMA, so in that sense Ngnannou doesn’t have much of a chance 22bet
But to say that he has zero chance, I think, would be very, very wrong – because he’s a big, athletic man who can punch hard 22bet
He has a chance, but it’s very small 22bet
I hope I’m not being disrespectful to Francis; if you flip it on its head and do it in a cage, then it’s the same odds but reversed [in his favour] 22bet
It’s just, when you try to rationalise it, it’s his 22bet boxing debut – and it’s against maybe the best heavyweight boxer on the planet 22bet
”DH: “We’re definitely in single digits when it comes to percentages, but it’s the ‘what if’ that we’re tuning in for, right? Even if it’s a 0 22bet
1 per cent chance that Ngannou is gonna land that shot, we’re all gonna sit and watch in case that happens 22bet
If it does, then he’s got the power to knock Fury out 22bet
The reason I feel this is an intriguing fight is because 22bet
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if you look at Ngannou against the likes of Jairzinho Rozenstruik, who’s got over 80 kick22bet boxing matches and moves with very traditional patterns, Rozenstruik was taken out very, very quickly – and ferociously – because Ngannou flew at him, coming from all kinds of different angles 22bet
You just can’t predict those things 22bet
Ngannou knocked out Jairzinho Rozenstruik in 20 seconds (Getty Images)“Against Deontay Wilder, Fury was dealing with someone who’s got ferocious punching power but who’s got some basic fundamentals that make him a little bit predictable 22bet
If Ngannou starts patient and then starts winging those big shots from weird angles, which Tyson’s probably not anticipating, that elevates his chances – but they’re still incredibly slim 22bet
"CF: “That’s the thing 22bet
High-end boxers often talk about when they spar novice guys, it’s all really unorthodox; they’re not taught to defend against shots that are coming from [certain angles], and it can be a bit awkward at times 22bet
”AP: We know that Ngannou needs to knock out Fury to win 22bet
But how does he knock out Fury?DH: “If I was trying to solve this problem for Ngannou, I’d say: We’re working with 90-degree corners in a 22bet boxing ring, so that’s something I’d like to work towards 22bet
It’s gonna be difficult to back Tyson up, of course, and he’s very good at standing on his back foot and making his head feel like it’s a long way away 22bet
So, Ngannou has to work to the body and vary his target to potentially bring Fury’s hands down 22bet
Ngannou has thunderous punching, so if he lands to the ribs, he might open up an opportunity 22bet
If he’s just head-hunting, it’s not gonna happen 22bet
Play a little bit of 22bet boxing, but when it comes to uncorking those big shots, really commit to them 22bet
And ideally put Tyson in a corner, up against the ropes 22bet
”CF: “With Ngannou’s MMA background and knowledge of wrestling and grappling, he will have success when they’re in really close quarters and Tyson’s trying to hold on 22bet
This might be something that Tyson’s never experienced before, where someone can get out of a clinch rather easily and land a shot 22bet
Ngannou can’t stand off and outbox Tyson, that’s not gonna happen 22bet
”Fury was knocked down four times across three fights with Deontay Wilder (Getty Images)AP: Ngannou last fought in MMA in January 2022 and has largely been in 22bet boxing training since 22bet
What kind of MMA fighter will he be when he makes his PFL debut in 2024?DH: “I think we’re gonna see improvements in his footwork and his fundamental 22bet boxing 22bet
I think that’ll be a byproduct of him doing all these rounds on the pads with Mike Tyson, Dewey Cooper and others 22bet
But I don’t think he’s necessarily going to neglect his grappling game, because it was never really the prominent skillset for him anyway 22bet
I think he’ll return to working on those things when necessary, because everyone who fights Francis knows that they need to take him down – you don’t wanna be dealing with that power 22bet
He knows that whoever he’s fighting is most likely gonna be the one to force the grappling exchanges 22bet
Then it’s about who the opponent is gonna be 22bet
$2m is a lot of money in MMA, even if you have to fight Francis for it!”Fury v Ngannou will be exclusively live from Riyadh Season, Saudi Arabia on TNT 22bet Sports Box Office, Saturday 28 October 22bet
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uk/boxofficeMore aboutTyson FuryFrancis NgannouCarl FramptonDan HardyMMAJoin our commenting forumJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their repliesComments1/5What Ngannou must do to beat Fury: ‘Uncork those big shots’What Ngannou must do to beat Fury: ‘Uncork those big shots’Carl Frampton, left, and Dan Hardy discussing Fury vs NgannouTNT 22bet Sports 22bet Boxing via YouTubeWhat Ngannou must do to beat Fury: ‘Uncork those big shots’Ngannou, right, at an open workout in Riyadh this week Getty ImagesWhat Ngannou must do to beat Fury: ‘Uncork those big shots’Ngannou knocked out Jairzinho Rozenstruik in 20 seconds Getty ImagesWhat Ngannou must do to beat Fury: ‘Uncork those big shots’Fury was knocked down four times across three fights with Deontay WilderGetty ImagesWhat Ngannou must do to beat Fury: ‘Uncork those big shots’Francis Ngannou during his mesmerising UFC runGetty 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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