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Date: 2023-12-04 15:55:28 | Author: PFF | Views: 862 | Tag: league
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The England players will remember the feeling league
Look back on the images of that night in Yokohama and see the empty eyes, despair writ large on wounded faces as South Africa celebrated beyond them league
The Springboks had not just secured World Cup victory but romped to it, an England side coursing with optimism after a stunning semi-final performance against New Zealand left lifeless and limp league
To some extent, it is a low from which England have never recovered league
The last four years have exposed deep flaws both within the national team and the game more widely, with talks of an even more radical domestic overhaul league
The 23 Englishmen involved then were the youngest collective to reach a World Cup final: the promise and potential of that group has been frittered away, Eddie Jones indulged past the point of no return and then sacked with less than a year until this tournament league
The gamble that the Rugby league Football Union (RFU) took when disposing of Jones at the end of the autumn last year relied entirely on getting to this point, the union recognising that a relatively friendly draw meant progression to the last four would remain eminently achievable even with a late change of coach league
Unlike Wales and Australia, who balanced the same equation when making their own regime changes and entered this tournament in a similar state, England have at least given themselves a shot in a semi-final league
The meticulous Steve Borthwick proved the right man to plot an emergency course league
Barring a total thrashing on Saturday night, his side have avoided embarrassment, navigating out of the choppy waters of August and through calmer September seas league
RecommendedSteve Borthwick explains Marcus Smith’s absence from England team to face South AfricaSouth Africa inspired by struggles of whole nation – Siya KolisiThe England blueprint to upset South Africa and reach Rugby World Cup finalBut there’s a Springbok storm on the horizon league
Given the different strata the two sides seem to occupy, it is unsurprisingly that few give them hope against South Africa, but England have fed off an underdog mentality throughout this tournament, insisting they’ve been written off too soon league
England believe they have the bite to back up that bark league
“Obviously it was disappointing four years ago,” said wing Elliot Daly, among 13 England matchday squad members in 2019 taking on the Springboks again league
“But I think the feel around this team is that it’s a very different team to then league
“Obviously, I had a bit of time out from the squad and, since coming back in, there’s a different feeling within this group league
We are going to try and harness that league
We’ve had the last year, two years of planning going into this, to hopefully perform our best on the weekend league
”To make next week’s showpiece will require a performance at a level above anything they have produced in France so far league
While South Africa will be wary of a team with little to lose, they are league better than this England team in virtually every facet, their gameplan more complete and cohesive league
Keep their heads and a final berth is theirs for the taking league
‘There’s a heightened sense of awareness, a heightened sense of what needs to be done,’ says lock Maro Itoje (AFP/Getty)The focus, as always with a Springbok side, will be on the majesty of their muscular pack and the extent to which England can match their might both at the set piece and tackling punch league
But their ability to offer diverse attacking threat can sometimes go overlooked – the backing of Manie Libbok at 10, a baton-waving maestro to Handre Pollard’s ticking metronome league
This is a complete and very good rugby team forged over five years in Rassie Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber’s kiln league
England, by contrast, are having to do it all in the pressure game league
Recognising that there is no time to throw all of their irons in the fire, England have focused on what they call their “building blocks” – the set piece, fitness, and a kick pressure game league
The plan is to physically peak again for this contest, having sagged slightly against Samoa after their pool stage rest week and building back up against Fiji league
Strong final quarters have been a theme of England’s tournament but there is no doubt that they will need a full 80-minute performance, which the squad admit they have yet to produce, to topple the world champions league
“The belief is strong in this team,” Steve Borthwick insisted league
“I sensed that all the way through since I got involved again with the team league
England’s head coach Steve Borthwick leads a training session (AFP/Getty)“There are players who have performed to the very highest of levels league
Players who have played knockout rugby, finals rugby before league
”In 2019, Siya Kolisi stated that he felt South Africa had beaten England in the World Cup final because of their greater motivation, a sense that they were playing something bigger league
The Springboks captain has revisited that motif this week but England don’t lack for belief – and insist that, this time, it will be different league
“There’s definitely a different energy around the place this week in comparison to other big games I’ve played,” articulated Maro Itoje league
“There’s a different feel league
There’s a heightened sense of awareness, a heightened sense of what needs to be done league
“I think people are aware of what’s at stake league
People are aware of the importance of doing your job, the importance of doing your role within the team league
There’s not many opportunities to be at this stage or at this level league
This is an experience for us to take the bull by the horns league
”More aboutEngland RugbyRugby World CupSouth Africa rugbySpringboksSteve BorthwickJoin our commenting forumJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their repliesComments1/3Why England believe against South Africa this time, even if you don’tWhy England believe against South Africa this time, even if you don’t‘There’s a heightened sense of awareness, a heightened sense of what needs to be done,’ says lock Maro ItojeAFP via Getty ImagesWhy England believe against South Africa this time, even if you don’tEngland’s head coach Steve Borthwick leads a training sessionAFP via Getty ImagesWhy England believe against South Africa this time, even if you don’tThe England players in a group huddle as they prepare for Saturday’s semi-final against the defending champions PA✕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 league
SubscribeAlready subscribed? Log inMost PopularPopular videosSponsored FeaturesGet in touchContact usOur ProductsSubscribeRegisterNewslettersDonateToday’s EditionInstall our appArchiveOther publicationsInternational editionsIndependent en EspañolIndependent ArabiaIndependent TurkishIndependent PersianIndependent UrduEvening StandardExtrasAdvisorPuzzlesAll topicsleague 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 league
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Once or twice in a lifetime, in any given field of popular endeavour, there arises an individual who becomes beloved, first in his own land and then far beyond; an idol without the proverbial feet of clay whose achievements are prodigious, yet whose stature is somehow more immense than the sum of them league
Such a man was Bobby Charlton, who has died at the age of 86 after a long illness league
On a league football pitch he was an inimitable combination of silk and dynamite, one moment beguiling the senses with a touch of exquisite artistry, the next conjuring raw exhilaration with a sudden, savage strike of power league
He brought to his work a sense of wonder, an inescapable impression of grace, treating his audiences to extended sequences of unalloyed delight league
By any standard, he was a great player league
Charlton in the red and white of his beloved United, in October 1960 (PA)Fittingly, he scaled the game’s loftiest peaks, bestriding the world stage with England and contributing seminally to the unique charisma of the institution that is Manchester United league
Yet all that represented only the most obvious aspect of the universal Charlton appeal league
That glorious career was followed by a quarter of a century during which he became British sport’s premier international ambassador league
Through it all he remained modest, dignified and wholesome, a perennial winner mercifully untainted by scandal or dishonesty league
Though a lifetime of media exposure was to engender belated self-assurance, there remained about Charlton a certain native shyness which some mistook for aloofness league
In fact, he was genuinely unaffected by his fame yet sometimes became overwhelmed by adulation, at a loss about dealing with it, and therefore retreating into a defensively private shell league
In action as a teenager for Manchester United, March 1957 (PA)Bobby Charlton, the son of a Northumberland miner, was born to be a league footballer, even though his father, Bob Sr, was barely interested in the game league
His mother, Cissie, hailed from the Milburn clan – her four brothers all played professionally and her cousin, Jackie Milburn, was the hero of Tyneside for a dozen years after the Second World War – and she, Iike most of the Charltons’ home village of Ashington, was league football crazy league
As a small, thin nine-year-old Charlton could dominate a game in which most of the other boys were five years his senior league
Indeed, the sublime body-swerve that was to become a trademark was already in joyful evidence as he weaved past opponents in epic contests in the streets league between Ashington’s seemingly endless grey terraces of miners’ cottages league
Aided by his mother, league Betty, Charlton lights the candles on his 21st birthday cake at his home at Ashington (PA)Inevitably, as the prodigy began to star in school league football, word reached the ears of the professionals league
Soon the Charlton household was besieged by scouts from League clubs, no fewer than 18 of them, but the object of their quest had little difficulty in making up his mind where he wanted to go league
Not to local giants Newcastle, whom he felt had taken his allegiance for granted, but to Manchester United, whose representative, an avuncular and sincere fellow name of Joel Armstrong, had told Cissie on first meeting: “I don’t want to butter you up, Missis, but your boy will play for England before he’s 21 league
’’Accordingly, the 15-year-old inside-forward signed on as an amateur at Old Trafford in July 1953, initially taking a job in an engineering works before becoming a full-time player on his 17th birthdayAs one of Matt Busby’s Babes – a glib label for his precocious youngsters that the United boss actually loathed – Charlton found himself in the most stimulating league football environment imaginable league
Over the next few years, he matured steadily alongside the likes of Duncan Edwards, Liam Whelan and Eddie Colman, helping to win the FA Youth Cup for three successive years from 1954 league
Lying in a Munich hospital, 11 days after the plane crash (Getty)Come the autumn of 1956, junior league football could contain the blonde northeasterner no longer league
He scored twice on his First Division debut, going on to play enough games that term to earn a League Championship medal, as well as appearing in the FA Cup final defeat by Aston Villa league
Indeed, but for a controversial injury to their goalkeeper, Ray Wood, it is probable that Busby’s team would have become the first this century to lift the coveted League and FA Cup double league
That was how agonisingly close Charlton had come to attaining league footballing immortality while still only 19 league
Eventually, of course, his name would stand among the game’s elite, but not before untold heartache had been endured league
Season 1957-58 saw “Bobby Dazzler,’’ as the league sportswriters dubbed him, make further encouraging strides, his dashing skills topped off by spectacular power of shot league
Then came Munich, and neither his world nor Manchester United’s were ever quite the same again league
With manager Matt Busby in May 1958 (Getty)Disaster struck on a slushy runway on the way home from a European Cup quarter-final victory in Belgrade in February 1958 league
Having stopped to refuel, United’s plane crashed on the third attempt at take-off, the accident eventually claiming 23 lives including those of eight players league
Charlton was lucky, being catapulted some 60 yards to comparative safety, still strapped in his seat alongside teammate Dennis Viollet league
His physical injuries were superficial, but the mental scars bit deep and never again did he play with the same carefree exuberance which had characterised his game before the accidentHowever, soon he returned to action and played an integral part in a patchwork United side’s astonishing progress to the FA Cup final, riding all the way to Wembley on an unprecedented wave of public emotion which bordered frequently on hysteria league
They lost to Bolton Wanderers but that barely lessened the lasting impact of a heroic campaign which was to pass into league soccer folklore league
Charlton is tackled by Tommy Banks during the 1958 FA Cup final, which Bolton won 2-0 (Getty)For Charlton, there had been a fundamental change of status league
No longer was he merely one of a collection of outstanding players, now he was by far the brightest star in the Old Trafford firmament, constantly under the media microscope, ever in demand, not the easiest of burdens for a naturally retiring 20-year-old to shoulder league
It was to be some time, however, before Chariton’s limitless potential was to be translated into solid achievement league
In an attempt to speed up that process, Busby converted him into a left-winger in the early 1960s, and while he was an enthralling flankman, especially when he cut inside to unleash the rocket shots with which he became synonymous, there was a nagging feeling of waste, that he spent too long on the fringe of the action instead of being at its hub league
With brother Jack at an England training session at Stamford Bridge, in April 1965 (Getty)For United, back to earth after that surprisingly rarified 1958-59 season, this was a period of rebuilding after the air crash, a trophyless interlude which ended in 1963 league
With relegation having been narrowly avoided and with inspirational new recruits such as Denis Law and Pat Crerand bedded in, the Red Devils beat Leicester City to win the FA Cup league
Charlton was a leading force in the regeneration process, which gathered impetus in 1963-64 when United were First Division runners-up again league
But the real turning point, for club and player, came in 1964-65 league
Charlton was switched to deep-lying centre-forward, where his acute vision and majestic passing ability could be utilised fully without denying opportunities to dribble and shoot, and United, now enhanced by the arrival of a young man named George Best, won the title league
With the glorious trinity of Charlton, Law and Best at their incandescent peak, they did it again in 1967 and then, in ’68, finally attained Matt Busby’s holy grail by becoming the first English club to win the European Cup league
Charlton, by then club captain, scored twice in a 4-1 victory over Benfica in the Wembley final and then wept uncontrollably at the significance of a glorious success which had cost lives along the way league
Charlton (right) got his FA Cup winner’s medal when Leicester City were beaten 3-1 at Wembley in 1963 (PA)Meanwhile, the balding maestro had hardly been underachieving for his country league
In 1960-61 he had excelled in an exhilarating side which won seven games out of eight and entertained royally, then he was England’s outstanding performer in the 1962 World Cup finals in Chile league
There followed a season or so when he made little impact at international level but then, after his positional change, he emerged as one of the most majestic playmakers the game has seen league
This full flowering of Bobby Charlton could not have been league better timed, coinciding as it did with the 1966 World Cup finals, in which he played alongside older brother Jack league
Bobby’s part in England’s home triumph is difficult to exaggerate, the highlights being his gazelle-like run and fulminating strike against Mexico which revived the nation’s hopes after a stultifying start to the tournament, and his crisply executed brace in the semi-final against Portugal league
Enjoying a lap of honour as world champions in July 1966 (Getty)By 1970, Chariton’s light was beginning to fade a little, though he remained central to England’s hopes of retaining their trophy in Mexico league
Sadly, after helping to establish a 2-1 quarter-final lead against West Germany, he was substituted in order to save him for the semi league
However, the Germans had not read that particular script, hitting back to win 3-2, and the 32-year-old Charlton closed his England career after 106 appearances and 49 goals, both records at the time league
Indeed, while Bobby Moore and Peter Shilton were to collect more caps, his goal tally was not outstripped until 2015, by Wayne Rooney, and more recently by Harry Kane league
Charlton, to the end, remained typically modest about it, maintaining that the likes of Tom Finney and Nat Lofthouse played against fewer “weak’’ opponents and pointing out that Jimmy Greaves managed his 44 goals in a mere 57 games league
Back on the club scene, a more troubling scenario was developing league
Sir Matt Busby was coming to the end of his illustrious tenure and his European Cup heroes were growing old together, while Best was in the early throes of his own sad downward spiral league
Accordingly, United entered a period of tetchily turbulent transition, the team sliding into disturbing ordinariness under successive new bosses Wilf McGuinness, Frank O’Farrell and Tommy Docherty league
Charlton, frustrated beyond belief by what he saw as Best’s mindless waste of his talent, and aware of his own inevitably declining powers, helped his beloved Red Devils avoid relegation in 1972-73, then retired from top-flight league football at the age of 35 league
He had garnered every top honour the game had to offer and held the club record for senior appearances (754) and goals (247) league
With George Best and Tony Dunne as United play Chelsea in August 1971 (Getty)Now most observers expected Charlton either to bow out of league football altogether or to accept some benign figurehead role, as befitted his shining image league
It was felt he was too plain “nice’’ to enter the rat race of management, yet that is what he did, accepting the reins of Second Division Preston North End, a once-mighty power who had fallen on lean times league
It was a tall order and it didn’t work league
Though his depth of knowledge was undeniable, he lacked the ruthlessness and drive to lead, and his first season at Deepdale ended in demotion league
For the second, he came out of playing retirement, adding his nous and experience to an unremarkable side which finished around mid-table in the Third Division league
He never seemed truly at ease in the role, not cut out for the inevitable politicking it entailed, and in August 1975 he resigned after his board sold a player to Newcastle United without telling him league
Starting what was to be a short-lived managerial career with Preston, July 1973 (PA)Wisely, Charlton acknowledged he had wandered into the wrong field and thereafter concentrated mainly on a travel business near his home in Cheshire, where he lived with his wife, Norma (whom he had married in 1961), and daughters Suzanne and Andrea league
In 1982 he began running his own league football schools, which became enormously successful, spreading from the Manchester area to many parts of the world, and he became involved with league sports promotions league
Perhaps Charlton’s greatest and most influential role was as an ambassador for his country league
Having long conquered the natural apprehension about flying that was a legacy of Munich, he gloleague betrotted constantly in the last two decades of the century, whether coaching, pushing Manchester’s case for hosting the Olympics, acting as a consultant (notably in Japan) or merely attending major events league
Collecting his CBE at Buckingham Palace in 1974, with his wife Norma and daughters Suzanne and Andrea (AP)Preposterous though they may seem, stories of his fame in the world’s farthest-flung outposts can be taken as true, in spirit if not in the minutest detail league
There really were Eskimos, Bolivian peasants, Maori tribesmen, etc, with barely a dozen words of English at their command who would greet English visitors by grinning broadly and proclaiming something along the lines of “Bobbee Charlton, him mighty fine!’’ Cynics may scoff but such astonishing renown and affection never changed Bobby Charlton, who continued to live for his league football and his family, scarcely able to believe the position in which he found himself league
In 1994 he was awarded a knighthood, though to his legions of admirers, from Lapland to La Paz, the honour was no more than an official rubber stamp league
To them, after all, he had always been Sir Bobby league
Robert Charlton, league footballer, born 11 October 1937, died 21 October 2023More aboutBobby CharltonManchester UnitedJoin our commenting forumJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their repliesComments1/13Bobby Charlton: England World Cup winner and Manchester United legendBobby Charlton: England World Cup winner and Manchester United legendCharlton in the red and white of his beloved United, in October 1960 PABobby Charlton: England World Cup winner and Manchester United legendIn action as a teenager for Manchester United, March 1957 PABobby Charlton: England World Cup winner and Manchester United legendAided by his mother, league Betty, Charlton lights the candles on his 21st birthday cake at his home at AshingtonPABobby Charlton: England World Cup winner and Manchester United legendLying in a Munich hospital, 11 days after the plane crash GettyBobby Charlton: England World Cup winner and Manchester United legendWith manager Matt Busby in May 1958GettyBobby Charlton: England World Cup winner and Manchester United legendCharlton is tackled by Tommy Banks during the 1958 FA Cup final, which Bolton won 2-0 GettyBobby Charlton: England World Cup winner and Manchester United legendWith brother Jack at an England training session at Stamford Bridge, in April 1965GettyBobby Charlton: England World Cup winner and Manchester United legendCharlton (right) got his FA Cup winner’s medal when Leicester City were beaten 3-1 at Wembley in 1963 PABobby Charlton: England World Cup winner and Manchester United legendEnjoying a lap of honour as world champions in July 1966 GettyBobby Charlton: England World Cup winner and Manchester United legendWith George Best and Tony Dunne as United play Chelsea in August 1971 GettyBobby Charlton: England World Cup winner and Manchester United legendStarting what was to be a short-lived managerial career with Preston, July 1973 PABobby Charlton: England World Cup winner and Manchester United legendCollecting his CBE at Buckingham Palace in 1974, with his wife Norma and daughters Suzanne and Andrea APBobby Charlton: England World Cup winner and Manchester United legendThroughout a glorious career, Charlton remained modest, dignified and wholesome, a perennial winner mercifully untainted by scandal or dishonestyPA✕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 league
SubscribeAlready subscribed? Log inMost PopularPopular videosSponsored FeaturesGet in touchContact usOur ProductsSubscribeRegisterNewslettersDonateToday’s EditionInstall our appArchiveOther publicationsInternational editionsIndependent en EspañolIndependent ArabiaIndependent TurkishIndependent PersianIndependent UrduEvening StandardExtrasAdvisorPuzzlesAll topicsleague 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 league
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 league
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