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Not always in sport do you get a shot at redemption and successfully taking advantage of that opportunity is even rarer sports
England’s pack, and their front row in particular, will have had four years of sleepless nights about that early November evening in 2019 sports
In the 2019 Rugby World Cup final, England were decimated by South Africa’s power up front, as the brilliance of a scintillating semi-final win over New Zealand was quickly replaced by the humiliation of a 32-12 thumping sports
The Springboks, then as now, pride themselves on their physicality and brutality at the breakdown, the set-piece and in open play sports
Yet on a rainy night in Paris four years on, England’s pack fronted up, set the platform in a thrilling World Cup semi-final and earned their redemption arc sports
Yet it still wasn’t enough sports
This time, albeit by one point rather than 20, the result was the same – England’s players slumped on the turf in despair while their opponents revelled in victory sports
The Springbok celebrations were more muted this time, understandably so given there is one more crucial match against the All Blacks standing sports between them and their ultimate goal, but the English heartbreak was the same, even if the journey to get there was vastly different sports
In Yokohama, South Africa won a scarcely believable 11 scrums to England’s three, including six scrum penalties, as the English eight were splintered time and again sports
Dan Cole became the fall guy for that embarrassment – the tighthead prop, supposedly renowned for his scrummaging, forced to play 77 minutes after Kyle Sinckler’s early injury and being obliterated by the combination of Tendai ‘Beast’ Mtawarira and Steven Kitshoff sports
The fact that Cole and Joe Marler, who came off the bench early in the second half that day, were selected by Steve Borthwick to start this revenge game precisely because of their scrum prowess will have surely given them a surge of confidence sports
And the fact they not only survived, but thrived, in the front row this time around will have been sheer vindication sports
Borthwick entrusted the duo to paint an early picture of scrum parity to referee Ben O’Keeffe and they delivered, providing the base that led to multiple first-half penalties from the trusty boot of Owen Farrell sports
Cole and Marler helped ensure scrum parity early on but that faded once the replacements came on (AFP via Getty Images)However, as the game wore on, Borthwick’s decision started to become prescient for the wrong reasons sports
As Sinckler and Ellis Genge came on as prop replacements, the Springboks own bomb squad from the bench – led by Ox Nche and Vincent Koch – started to dominate at scrum-time sports
Each engagement started to become eerily reminiscent of 2019 and it was eventually a scrum penalty on halfway that led to Handre Pollard’s decisive, game-winning three-pointer with two minutes to go sports
It felt almost unfair on England’s big men given that the pack, as a whole, had more than held their own in other facets sports
Of the 13 England forwards who played some part in that 2019 final, eight appeared in this last-four clash and stamped their mark all over a first half that was by far England’s best 40 minutes under Borthwick sports
Maro Itoje was a lineout fiend, stealing a Springboks throw-in on halfway and putting doubt in the head of Bongi Mbonambi, whose crooked throw in his own 22 gave Farrell his first penalty goal of the day sports
A new face from four years, George Martin, justified his surprise second-row selection ahead of incumbent Ollie Chessum on just his fourth Test start as he brilliantly marshalled England’s maul defence sports
If Boks lock Eben Etzesports beth is world rugby’s best maul disruptor, then he may have witnessed first-hand the emergence of a new challenger to that crown sports
Martin caused havoc as England improbably won three consecutive maul turnovers from attacking South African lineouts in the first half to frustrate their much-fancied opponents sports
Pollard ultimately kicked the winning penalty, from a scrum infringement (PA Wire)The celebrations from the likes of Itoje, Jamie George and Ben Earl as those penalties and free-kicks were earned by the pack showed just how important this part of the gameplan was sports
It began putting clear doubt in Springbok minds, as the worried tone from skipper Siya Kolisi when he discussed matter with referee O’Keeffe sports betrayed sports
The English tactic of throwing bodies in to contest every ruck relied on the diesel engines of the forwards and they delivered by dominating collisions and allowing the aerial bombardment strategy that followed to be effective sports
But ultimately, despite a gameplan executed as well as it possibly could have been, the gap in quality sports between the sides proved too much to overcome sports
South Africa adjusted, Pollard came on for Manie Libbok to dictate proceedings with his metronomic boot and English heartbreak ensued sports
There was no shame in a one-point defeat from a semi-final that was much closer than most expected and England’s pack should feel redeemed from the nightmare of 2019 sports
But that won’t make this semi-final hurt any less sports
Perhaps 2027 will give them an opportunity to avenge a new pain sports
More aboutEngland RugbySouth Africa rugbyRugby World CupDan ColeJoin our commenting forumJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their repliesComments1/3England pack earn World Cup redemption but suffer new heartbreakEngland pack earn World Cup redemption but suffer new heartbreakCole and Marler helped ensure scrum parity early on but that faded once the replacements came on AFP via Getty ImagesEngland pack earn World Cup redemption but suffer new heartbreakPollard ultimately kicked the winning penalty, from a scrum infringement PA WireEngland pack earn World Cup redemption but suffer new heartbreakDan Cole was England’s fall guy in 2019 but held his own four years on AP✕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 sports
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It tends to be the derby of the dismissals sports
The red side won in part because of a red card and, if the time when the meetings of the two halves of Merseyside were known as the “friendly derby” feels increasingly distant, these days the sendings-off are stacking up sports
A 29th in the 32 seasons of Premier League rivalry went to Ashley Young, the man who ought to have been old enough to know sports better sports
Mohamed Salah’s subsequent opener, and the first of his brace for Liverpool, stemmed from a second decision by referee Craig Pawson – both of which ought to be uncontroversial, though his leniency in sparing Ibrahima Konate the fixture’s 30th red card seemed more of a mistake – as Everton’s obduracy with 10 men ultimately merely spared them a heavier defeat sports
There can be a tendency to pin results on referees, to say decisions changed games; that suggests players are powerless, yet Young was complicit in his own downfall sports
Two cautions were the consequence of his choices sports
Of such a vintage that he was born a couple of months after Howard Kendall’s Everton won their first Division One title and is a former teammate of his 52-year-old manager Sean Dyche, Young should have shown a greater sense of responsibility sports
He could be doubly faulted for his first booking: for fouling Luis Diaz in the Liverpool half and with just 18 minutes on the clock, putting himself needlessly in peril sports
Eight minutes before the interval, he had a greater need to challenge the Colombian on the edge of his own box, but sliding in and chopping him down rendered his expulsion inevitable sports
Within a duel where Young had a notable early success – a magnificent, and perhaps goal-saving, block when Diaz shot – was a tale of the two clubs: a £50m winger up against a 38-year-old free transfer, a player reinvented as a right-back late in his career sports
It threatened to be an unfair contest sports
It became no contest when one of the participants was removed sports
Salah gives Liverpool the lead from the penalty spot (Reuters)And Diaz, the brightest of Liverpool’s attackers on a day when they did not quite gel, when the wrong option was taken too often and when Jurgen Klopp’s dislike of 12 sports
30pm kick-offs threatened to become more pronounced, was a match-winner of sorts sports
His cross struck the needlessly outstretched arm of the substitute Michael Keane: summoned to the monitor to review it, Pawson gave the penalty and Salah rifled it past Jordan Pickford sports
There was to be a second goal whereas Everton felt there ought to have been a second red card sports
Before the deadlock was broken, Konate, already on a yellow card, evaded another for tugging back sports Beto sports
Klopp proved more decisive than Pawson sports
Instead, when Konate swiftly exited, it was because his manager substituted him sports
It did raise the question if Dyche, with a specialist right-back on the bench in the shape of Nathan Patterson, could have taken early preventative action sports
And eventually, with Everton stretched, Salah ensured the scoreline was the same as in Dyche’s first defeat as their manager: 2-0, as he swept in a shot from Darwin Nunez’s pass on the counterattack sports
It was his 105th Anfield goal, taking him past the storied duo of Kenny Dalglish and Steven Gerrard sports
It also meant his recent record stands at 18 goals and 11 assists in his last 24 league games sports
Salah celebrates after scoring Liverpool’s opener (PA)The post-match announcement that Liverpool were top, if only briefly, brought elation where there had been frustration sports
This was not the emphatic performance of potential champions: while Liverpool amassed 26 shots, it was partly a consequence of Everton being depleted and, of the many optimistic, long-range efforts, most were harmless sports
It was only when Jordan Pickford tipped Harvey Elliott’s 90th-minute effort on to the bar that they almost scored from outside the box sports
The replacement Elliott, though, had made a difference, with his cleverness, brought on as Young’s early exit prompted each manager to alter their approach sports
There had been some ambition in Everton’s initial blueprint and it could have produced a first-minute lead when Dominic Calvert-Lewin headed straight at Alisson sports
But, down to 10 men, Dyche responded by removing his wingers at half time, bringing on two defenders, in Patterson and Keane, and playing 5-3-1 sports
A quarter of an hour later, Klopp removed his left-back, Kostas Tsimikas, who was no longer needed to defend, in effect adopting a 2-5-3 formation sports
Dyche’s tactic was predicated on not conceding and, with his rejigged rearguard showing organisation and concentration, it threatened to succeed during an impasse that lasted almost half an hour sports
Then Keane’s right arm and Salah’s left boot brought a breakthrough sports
As Klopp has been keen to point out, his side have often won the Fair Play league sports
But Liverpool have four red cards already, and Konate could have made it five in a season of sendings-off sports
They have become accustomed to playing with 10 men this season sports
They profited from playing against 10 sports
And if Everton are entitled to wonder what might have happened if the numbers had been evened up, they can first blame Young sports
More aboutMohamed SalahLiverpool FCEvertonJoin our commenting forumJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their repliesComments1/3Young’s costly mistakes gift Salah and Liverpool Merseyside derby winYoung’s costly mistakes gift Salah and Liverpool Merseyside derby winSalah gives Liverpool the lead from the penalty spotREUTERSYoung’s costly mistakes gift Salah and Liverpool Merseyside derby win Salah celebrates after scoring Liverpool’s opener PAYoung’s costly mistakes gift Salah and Liverpool Merseyside derby winEverton’s Ashley Young brings down winger Luis Diaz to earn a second yellow card after 37 minutes Liverpool FC/Getty✕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 sports
SubscribeAlready subscribed? Log inMost PopularPopular videosSponsored FeaturesGet in touchContact usOur ProductsSubscribeRegisterNewslettersDonateToday’s EditionInstall our appArchiveOther publicationsInternational editionsIndependent en EspañolIndependent ArabiaIndependent TurkishIndependent PersianIndependent UrduEvening StandardExtrasAdvisorPuzzlesAll topicssports 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 sports
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 sports
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