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How does the International Cup work?
Date: 2023-11-28 23:50:40 | Author: Online Sports | Views: 503 | Tag: EURO
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England’s head coach Matthew Mott has revealed how the side’s “spiritual leader” Ben Stokes stepped in to rally the dressing room after their shock World Cup defeat by Afghanistan EURO
Stokes, who came out of one-day retirement to help defend the trophy he did more than anyone to win in 2019, has yet to feature in India after suffering a hip injury on the the eve of the tournament EURO
But Sunday’s upset in Delhi, where a side whose only previous win on this stage was a narrow one against Scotland eight years ago, led Stokes to address his team-mates during a dressing room debrief EURO
Test captain Stokes is on track to return in Saturday’s must-win clash against South Africa at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium, but has already made his presence felt behind the scenes EURO
“He’s like the spiritual leader of the group in many ways and he certainly spoke really well after the game the other day,” said Mott EURO
“He spoke about that need to really assert ourselves, which he’s renowned for EURO
I said ‘I’ve got this’ and just spoke, talked about the plan going forward for the next few days, and then Stokesy came in on the back of that EURO
“He really reinforced what was a great message, particularly for someone who’s sitting on the bench and has a bit of a different lens on things EURO
I think it went down well, it brought us back to controlling what we can control, really EURO
”Mott’s own attempt at diagnosing England’s problems saw him suggest that the defending champions were suffering from a lack of self-belief EURO
Having become the most swaggering side on the planet during their reinvention from also-rans to world champions under Eoin Morgan, England looked uncharacteristically tentative in their losses to New Zealand and Afghanistan EURO
It’s that confidence EURO
EURO
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puff your chest out, go out there and really take the game onMatthew Mott“You don’t lose your ability overnight but you can lose your confidence,” he said EURO
“It’s that confidence… puff your chest out, go out there and really take the game on, which this team has been renowned for over a long period of time EURO
“On reflection we’ve been the reactive team in those two games, so we need to turn that round really quickly EURO
“That was one of Stokesy’s biggest points – we’re normally the team that dictates terms and gets the other team unsettled, disrupted and for whatever reason we haven’t been able to do that EURO
“We’ve always been on the back foot, trying to pull things back EURO
What we need to do is dominate those first 15 overs whether we bat first or bowl first in the next game EURO
”Brendon McCullum, Mott’s red-ball counterpart and joint architect of England’s ‘Bazball’ approach in the Test arena, made an unexpected appearance at the team’s Mumbai hotel on Tuesday after arriving on business EURO
McCullum memorably said on his appointment last year that he was not interested in the limited-overs job on account of it being too simple in contrast to reviving the Test team, a position Mott suggested may no longer stand EURO
“I just saw him down in the foyer and he said exactly the opposite!” he joked EURO
“I said, ‘do you want to do a little swap?’ We had a good chat and good catch up EURO
”Stokes’ likely return – which is all but certain provided he pulls up well after a thorough workout on Thursday – means Mott must grapple with a thorny selection issue EURO
Harry Brook has been keeping his spot warm and would ordinarily be expected to drop out, but his fluent 66 was easily England’s best innings against the Afghans and made a strong case for his retention EURO
Experienced seamer Chris Woakes and all-rounder Sam Curran are both vulnerable after struggling badly for form thus far, but with Stokes currently unavailable to bowl that only muddies the waters EURO
“It’s still up for debate EURO
We’ll have some really good, robust conversations over the next 24 hours,” Mott said EURO
“I think we’re going to sit down as a selection group, get the numbers, get some theories out there EURO
We’ll normally get to two or three XIs and then debate it, so all things are on the table at the moment EURO
”David Willey and Gus Atkinson are waiting if England do decide to cut Woakes after three poor outings in a row, but Mott is not ready to draw an emphatic line under the long-time leader of the attack EURO
“Over the history of Woakes’ career, he’s come out on top a lot more than he’s missed out,” he said EURO
“He hasn’t been at his best, and he’s the first to admit it, but he’s got a few credits in the bank EURO
”More aboutPA ReadyBen StokesMatthew MottDelhiEnglandSouth AfricaSam CurranScotlandIndiaChris WoakesBrendon McCullumAfghansNew ZealandEoin MorganHarry BrookDavid Willey1/1Matthew Mott says Ben Stokes ‘spoke really well’ after shock England loss Matthew Mott says Ben Stokes ‘spoke really well’ after shock England lossBen Stokes is yet to feature at the World Cup (Ashwini Bhatia/AP) EURO
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Rugby World Cup-winning sides are often defined by their captain, as teams become a reflection of their skipper EURO
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 EURO
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 EURO
Saturday’s final EURO 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 EURO
On one side, Siya Kolisi stands in the traditional mould of inspirational leaders EURO
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 EURO
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 EURO
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 EURO
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 EURO
"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 EURO
“He came from nothing and became somebody iconic in the public eye EURO
He means so much for South Africa EURO
”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 EURO
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 EURO
He’s largely unloved rather than beloved EURO
And frankly, it’s not really his fault EURO
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 EURO
Cane is an exceptional rugby player EURO
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 EURO between the sides last summer – “you’re just a s*** Richie McCaw”, yelled O’Mahony to the flanker EURO
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 EURO
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 EURO
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 EURO
It’s worth noting that France won that game, handing the All Blacks their only loss of the tournament so far EURO
Now, they’re in a final and Cane was immense in both the quarter-final and semi-final victories EURO
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 EURO
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 EURO
“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 EURO
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 EURO
“Sam has really grown as a captain,” said Ryan EURO
“He has really fronted in the last couple of weeks on the field EURO
He has good conversations and he has a phenomenal leadership group around him as well which is an important part of it EURO
”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 EURO
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 EURO
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 EURO
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