Last Updated: October 24, 2023, 00:30 IST
PARIS: England coach Steve Borthwick’s tactical kicking grasp plan and the accuracy with which his workforce carried it out got here agonisingly near beating South Africa in the World Cup semi-finals, but in addition produced some astonishing statistics.
England went into the sport because the workforce that kicked away possession greater than anybody and once more they did it 93% of the time – matching their tournament report from their opening win in opposition to Argentina after they have been all the way down to 14 males for 77 minutes.
In the moist and windy situations on Saturday it appeared a wise tactic, particularly as they carried out a lot better than the Springboks when on the receiving finish and maintained their place as tournament leaders in variety of kicks per match at 34.3.
With no intention of transferring the ball large additionally it is not stunning that England had the slowest ruck velocity of the tournament with a mean of 6.73 seconds as they set themselves up for his or her kick and chase. Their tournament common was additionally over 5 seconds – the slowest of the 20 groups.
England additionally grew to become the first workforce on the tournament – in 42 matches – to not register a single line break in a match. Their lack of strive-scoring ambition is proven by them making solely 4 crimson zone entries on Saturday, in comparison with their common of 11.2.
That failure to attain a strive in opposition to South Africa is hardly new, nonetheless. They didn’t handle one in the 2019 closing or 2007 closing or pool match or in the 1999 quarter-closing – with all 5 video games misplaced. Their solely World Cup strive in opposition to the Springboks got here in the 2003 pool win.
The decisive stats, nonetheless, got here in the scrum. The semi-closing was the first time England had conceded a scrum penalty since their opening sport.
They went on to concede 4 in whole, all in the ultimate quarter and two of which opened the way in which for the try to penalty purpose that enabled South Africa to show a 69th-minute 15-6 deficit right into a 16-15 win.
(This story has not been edited by News18 workers and is revealed from a syndicated information company feed – Reuters)
