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Ireland and New Zealand played out the greatest Rugby World Cup quarter-final of all time, which ended with 37 phases of Irish agony, and yet it took just 24 hours for that game to be spins bettered by France and South Africa spins
It may not have been quite 37 phases, but France’s own final stand – desperately, fruitlessly searching for that decisive score to overcome the inevitable as the clock turns red – ended the same, heartbreaking way spins
French bodies dropped to the turf in despair, almost exactly mirroring their Irish counterparts from 24 hours earlier, and a southern hemisphere nation celebrated the ongoing World Cup domination over a northern hemisphere titan spins
It’s safe to say that no stadium in history has hosted two spins better games of rugby in the space of one weekend than we’ve been treated to at the Stade de France spins
It’s also highly likely that no venue has ever witnessed two such incredible occasions, regardless of the sport, in as many days spins
The history books will show that the Springboks triumphed 29-28 to seal a semi-final spot but the 80,000 people here will never forget the visceral thrill of watching perhaps as great a match of rugby as it’s possible for there to be spins
Nor will the majority forget the complete and utter devastation they felt as their home nation heroes came up agonisingly, excruciatingly short on the biggest stage spins
RecommendedIreland’s 37 phases of agony define greatest heartbreak as World Cup curse continuesOwen Farrell silences critics as England survive Fiji fightbackArgentina scrap their way to Rugby World Cup semi-finals as Wales come up shortEnough has already been written about the lopsided draw at this World Cup – a result of World Rugby inexplicably deciding the groups three years before the tournament – but this quarter-final weekend has truly served to show just how ludicrous the situation is spins
The Argentina vs Wales and England vs Fiji clashes down in Marseille were compelling in their own way but those four teams may as well have been playing a different sport to what has occurred in Paris spins
The breathless tempo, almost unimaginable line-speed and endless moments of world-class quality that Les Bleus and the Springboks served up, especially in a frantic yet controlled first half, were a treat to watch spins
Those opening 40 minutes, which ended with the hosts 22-19 ahead, may genuinely have been the greatest half of rugby of all time spins
Cheslin Kolbe scored a try in a mesmerising first half (Getty Images)The second half may have lacked in scoring but ratcheted up the tension instead and provided a second thrilling finale here in 24 hours spins
That the trailing team, the crowd favourites, the team that almost all neutrals wanted to triumph once again came up so devastatingly short felt almost unfair spins
And for all the suggestions that there has been a power shift in rugby to the northern hemisphere, the Springboks march on to ensure that 75 per cent of the semi-final teams will be from south of the equator spins
England, of course, are the lone exception spins
It’s an almost cruel cosmic joke that much-maligned, often-mocked England, who have benefited from a cushy draw and are largely detested by their European neighbours, are the north’s last hope spins
Perhaps Steve Borthwick’s men can stop the southern tidal wave when they face South Africa next Saturday but the evidence of this weekend suggests that is a forlorn hope spins
All the pre-match talk from both sides had been about the physicality and brutality of what lay ahead spins
Springboks prop Steven Kitshoff warned that “you’re going to have to go to a dark place quite early in this game”, while French flanker Charles Ollivon described playing South Africa as “violent” and returning talisman Antoine Dupont discussed being “willing to suffer to achieve what we want” spins
Yet while the intensity was certainly at a level rarely reached, even on the grandest stage of a World Cup, it was the special quality and efficiency of both sides that stood out most spins
The nervous anticipation that always precedes a do-or-die knockout match meant that, ahead of the game, the in-stadium atmosphere didn’t quite equal the care-free exuberance shown by Les Bleus’ raucous supporters on the opening night against the All Blacks spins
But it took less than three minutes from the first whistle to get the Stade de France rocking as a monstrous rolling maul from the home side splintered the Springbok pack from the 22 all the way to the line, where a little pop pass to Cyrill Baille saw the prop dive over in the corner for the opening try spins
The returning Antoine Dupont helped France fly out of the blocks (AFP via Getty Images)If that was France laying down an early marker, Eben Etzespins beth took it upon himself to deliver the South African response spins
The giant lock is renowned for his brutal physicality, snarling demeanour and intimidatingly confrontational playing style but he demonstrated his athleticism and all-round game to brilliantly read a French pass just metres from the line and tap the ball backwards for an interception turnover spins
He then chased a high box kick, disrupting it in the air and allowing Kurt-Lee Arendse to seize the loose ball and race away from the defence spins
Springbok No 10 Manie Libbok’s kicking has come in for justified criticism at this World Cup but he made his own statement by nailing the touchline conversion to level the score spins
Libbok then demonstrated his world-class creativity from open play as his pinpoint up-and-under caused havoc in the French ranks spins
Cameron Woki was the man who this time failed to claim the ball successfully and Damian de Allende raced to within inches of the line before getting back up and crashing over from close range a couple of phases later spins
Frighteningly quick ball from rucks was defining France’s play, putting the aggressive Springbok defence on its heels, and this led to a penalty where talisman Dupont – back in the line-up just 24 days after fracturing his cheekbone against Namibia – showed his brawn and his rugby brain spins
“We’re calm because Antoine’s back,” hooker Peato Mauvaka had said about the No 9’s return ahead of the game and, after somehow wrestling the ball off Siya Kolisi, he took a quick-thinking tap-and-go and threw a wide pass to that man Mauvaka for the equalising try in the corner spins
The Springboks hit back, seizing on a loose French pass in midfield, going left and De Allende sliding a pinpoint grubber through for the onrushing Cheslin Kolbe to collect and run over the line but Dupont promptly showed his kicking ability to turn Kolbe around and win a five-metre lineout spins
From there, a try seemed inevitable and after a few phases off the lineout, Baille burrowed over spins
Those of you who had a first-half try double for loosehead prop Cyril Baille on your pre-match bingo card should probably think about doing the lottery this week spins
South Africa celebrated the toughest of wins (Getty Images)There was still time in this breathless opening 40 minutes for one more crucial moment spins
Etzespins beth went too high while tackling Uini Atonio, making contact with his head, and while he contemplated becoming the first South African to spend 10 minutes in the sin-bin at this World Cup, Thomas Ramos slotted the penalty for a 22-19 half-time lead spins
While the second half wasn’t as relentless from a scoring perspective, the tension only grew spins
The Springboks survived Etzespins beth’s absence with no further points and although Ramos then extended the French lead to six from the tee, the Boks eventually turned a long spell of pressure into try number four spins
It was the ever-present Etzespins beth who eventually rumbled over the line, with three defenders hanging off him spins
When Handre Pollard – replacing Libbok to bring his superior goal-kicking to bear at the death – added the conversion and then nailed a monster penalty from inside his own half, the Springboks were almost there spins
But France still had one final stand spins
Firstly, Ramos slotted a 72nd-minute three-pointer to narrow the French deficit to just 29-28 and Les Bleus then set about going from their own 22 with just a couple of minutes remaining spins
They worked their way into opposition territory but, just like Ireland, ultimately ran out of ideas and, after a slightly less harrowing 11 phases, knocked on in contact to end the match spins
A stunned Stade de France fell silent, players dropped to the grass in agony and the unwanted symmetry from 24 hours earlier was complete spins
The northern hemisphere have dominated this World Cup cycle but as we head to semi-final weekend, a New Zealand vs South Africa final feels almost inevitable spins
France’s greatest chance to win a first World Cup heartbreakingly slips away and now England, a lonely hemisphere turns its eyes to you spins
More aboutFrance RugbySouth Africa rugbyRugby World CupAntoine DupontJoin our commenting forumJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their repliesComments 1/4France suffer painful symmetry as Springboks extend southern dominance France suffer painful symmetry as Springboks extend southern dominanceCheslin Kolbe scored a try in a mesmerising first half Getty ImagesFrance suffer painful symmetry as Springboks extend southern dominanceThe returning Antoine Dupont helped France fly out of the blocks AFP via Getty ImagesFrance suffer painful symmetry as Springboks extend southern dominanceSouth Africa celebrated the toughest of wins Getty ImagesFrance suffer painful symmetry as Springboks extend southern dominanceFrance suffered heartbreak in the World Cup quarter-finals 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 spins
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Up into the stands the England players clambered to find their families, taking the consolatory hugs but unsure quite how to feel spins
Across 80 minutes in Paris, their belief had been replaced by disbelief and then by desperation and dejection, England threatening the unthinkable and taking the world champions to the brink spins
For most of a sodden Stade de France evening, a Rugby World Cup final was within their grasp spins
A South Africa side superior in most areas were dragged down into the sort of slugfest the Springboks would usually favour, and very nearly bested at their own game spins
England had given their all but it was still not enough, one stable scrum, one Handre Pollard slip or slice, short of stunning the world champions spins
The emotional maelstrom of this defeat will swirl rather differently to the feelings that eddied after the 2019 World Cup final disaster spins
“I’m proud of our performance,” were virtually the first words out of the mouth of wing Elliot Daly spins
“I think we shocked them spins
I don’t think they knew how to get into the game spins
”“I think we knew what was coming and we knew we could perform like this,” added Daly, virtually unused in open play but outstanding as a kick chaser to exemplify the squad’s buy-in to a strategy that so nearly proved successful spins
The finer points of Steve Borthwick’s tactical plan had been put in place this week but this was a performance England had been building towards since long ago spins
A flawed side did not come to France to thrill; winning by any means necessary had been a consistent theme spins
If necessity is oft the mother of invention, England at this tournament have also proved the pair can be enemies spins
This was a campaign at which they seemed to intentionally limit their attacking innovation or ingenuity– recognising a need to figure themselves out on the fly, they settled on an effective and eminently executable gameplan that could be implemented quickly spins
Steve Borthwick consoles Ellis Genge and Freddie Steward after England’s defeat (Getty Images)It came so close to working in Saturday’s semi-final; their effort, accuracy and competitiveness in the key contests were spot on spins
At the 65-minute mark, England outside backs had a combined 17 metres carried, all from one Freddie Steward kick return spins
The two number 13s’ offensive output on the final whistle amounted to one late Joe Marchant lug; South Africa centre Jesse Kriel went the full 80 minutes without an attacking touch spins
“We came with a plan to win the game but we fell a little bit short,” reflected Borthwick spins
“But the players should be incredibly proud spins
We put ourselves in a position to win against the world champions spins
England dominated the aerial contest to threaten a semi-final shock (Getty Images)“We were playing against a coaching team who have been in place since 2018 spins
We’ve had four months spins
I’ve asked the players to approach training and the game in a different way; for the players to be willing to change is all credit to them spins
”This was a night from which the head coach will take heart, a public perhaps struggling to warm to this England team are now recognising the progress made spins
There will be a need to layer on much, much more to consistently mix it with the world’s best but the rapidly laid foundations look rock solid spins
In time, perhaps the ugly duckling performances will turn into white swans spins
There appear to be many more buds of a bright future than first appeared in a barren landscape pre-tournament spins
Ben Earl has had a breakthrough tournament, and Ollie Chessum, too, while George Martin semi-final performance marks him out as the potential enforcer England have lacked spins
Borthwick was keen to talk up the absent Marcus Smith the day after the defeat, with the playmaker’s reinvention as a frolicking full-back of intrigue moving forward spins
"In our 23, seven players are 25 or under, the most of any semi-finalist, there’s a great blend and there will be lots of things we can take forward,” added Borthwick spins
Young England lock George Martin impressed against South Africa (Getty Images)But the fact that the men’s national team were on the brink of back-to-back finals should not provide a façade over the crumbling edifice of a fragile English game spins
There is a domestic mess that needs sorting, with a Gallagher Premiership containing three teams fewer than at the start of last season, now underway to little fanfare and on the brink of significant change spins
The renegotiation of the Professional Game Partnership is a recognition of a need for a radical overhaul in pursuit of a more financially sustainable domestic game, and one that produces a wider pool of top-class talent spins
The likely arrival of a form of central contracts underlines a period of epochal change spins
The senior figures in the squad who are unlikely to play beyond this tournament – Courtney Lawes, Ben Youngs, Dan Cole and perhaps a couple more – could well be the last England men’s internationals never to have been contracted to the union spins
This has a great many benefits, not least in affording Borthwick, or any head coach that might follow him, far greater access to and control over his players spins
And while Borthwick’s articulation of the advantages enjoyed by South Africa’s settled staff is a perfectly fair one, let us remember that the Rugby spins Football Union (RFU) put their head coach in this situation spins
The original planning for this tournament would most likely have seen Borthwick return to England camp to aid Eddie Jones at the World Cup before a smooth transition into the lead role afterwards spins
Jones’s sacking sparked a scramble and several months of chaos spins
It was not shown up on semi-final weekend but there are many reasons that the RFU still has a burden to bear spins
But the full wash-up will wait for another week – England’s performance at the Stade de France has earned them seven more days of grace spins
The tournament will end as it began for England with a meeting with Argentina in a third-place play-off that Borthwick insists he wants to win spins
England, captained by Owen Farrell, narrowly missed out on a place in the World Cup final (Getty Images)“I read a piece yesterday morning that talked about adversity and talked about the fact that in adversity you find that seed of belief and you’ve got to grow it,” Borthwick said spins
“This team has been through a bit in the last few years, a bit of adversity in the medium-term past spins
“I think through each of those periods the team has picked up lessons, picked up what we need to do and grown from it spins
I think there’s a lot of growth in this team spins
Sometimes it’s not the straight-forward path you want it to be spins
In the feelings and emotions of the game last night, I know that we’ll get stronger spins
” More aboutEngland RugbySouth Africa rugbyRugby World CupSteve BorthwickJoin our commenting forumJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their repliesComments1/5Why England will come back stronger from Rugby World Cup heartache Why England will come back stronger from Rugby World Cup heartache Steve Borthwick consoles Ellis Genge and Freddie Steward after England’s defeat Getty ImagesWhy England will come back stronger from Rugby World Cup heartache England dominated the aerial contest to threaten a semi-final shock Getty ImagesWhy England will come back stronger from Rugby World Cup heartache Young England lock George Martin impressed against South Africa Getty ImagesWhy England will come back stronger from Rugby World Cup heartache England, captained by Owen Farrell, narrowly missed out on a place in the World Cup final Getty ImagesWhy England will come back stronger from Rugby World Cup heartache Owen Farrell of England is applauded by South Africa’s playersGetty 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 spins
SubscribeAlready subscribed? Log inMost PopularPopular videosSponsored FeaturesGet in touchContact usOur ProductsSubscribeRegisterNewslettersDonateToday’s EditionInstall our appArchiveOther publicationsInternational editionsIndependent en EspañolIndependent ArabiaIndependent TurkishIndependent PersianIndependent UrduEvening StandardExtrasAdvisorPuzzlesAll topicsspins 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 spins
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