Mostahdaf looks set to round off his career in the Breeders’ Cup Turf next month, after connections opted to sidestep Saturday’s Qipco Champion Stakes due to unsuitable ground.
Having proved his top-level capabilities by winning the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot and the Juddmonte International at York, John and Thady Gosden’s five-year-old was well fancied to complete his Group One hat-trick on Champions Day – but his team had warned his participation was ground dependent.
And while Gosden and owners Shadwell initially gave the go-ahead after walking the track before racing, the attritional nature of the curtain-raising Long Distance Cup prompted a rethink.
“John and I walked the track, as everyone knows, and I thought it walked surprisingly well considering the rain they’ve had. I thought it walked good to soft and a bit softer down in Swinley Bottom,” said Shadwell’s racing manager Angus Gold.
“At that stage we were both thinking it was going to be OK to run on, albeit it wasn’t going to be in his favour, and then after the first race the first two jockeys I spoke to were the reigning champion jockey (William Buick), who described it as horrible and heavy, and Rab Havlin, who was third, said it was heavy.
“John and I had another look at it and spoke to Sheikha Hissa and said, ‘look, it’s your decision, but the ground isn’t going to be in his favour’, and John just felt it wasn’t fair on the horse ending his career in ground we know he doesn’t like – he couldn’t hobble on it in the Arc last year.
“With the option of the Breeders’ Cup still to come, there didn’t seem any point in bowing out on a low note when we can go to California with a chance of running him on fast ground in a couple of weeks’ time if he’s still well.”
Mostahdaf will be returning to a mile and a half for the first time since finishing fourth to Japanese ace Equinox in the Dubai Sheema Classic in March if he does contest the Breeders’ Cup Turf – but Gold does not see the extra distance being a major issue.
He added: “His best form here recently has been over a mile and a quarter, but over an American mile and a half, going down that hill for the first four furlongs or whatever it is, I think he’ll stay it. Whether he’ll win over it I can’t tell you, but I don’t think it will be that (stamina) that beats him.
“He’s a five-year-old now who has done brilliantly this year and I think if he does go to America that will be his last run.”
Cyriel Dessers believes Rangers will go from strength to strength after new boss Philippe Clement began his tenure with a 4-0 win over Hibernian on Saturday.
The Belgian took over the hot seat last Sunday and was given a huge ovation before the game, which provided instant encouragement for the Ibrox faithful.
Rangers played more direct and with tempo and got their rewards after 17 minutes when attacker Abdallah Sima scored his seventh goal in seven games with a fine finish.
Midfielder Nicolas Raskin doubled the lead just before the break with a drive from distance, Sima added a third in the 65th minute and Dessers got his close-range goal 10 minutes from time to complete a comprehensive win.
The 28-yearold Nigeria international told RangersTV: “The manager wants us to play with energy and show it as well to the fans; high pressing, play aggressively and forward.
“We showed some bits of this, but there’s still a lot of growth left for us.
“I’m sure we’ll do that, and we’ll then be a team that is difficult to stop.
“It’s a part of the game that I like to do. I’m still growing to my best level, but this was a step towards it.
“I hope with the new energy inside the dressing room, with the new staff and the fans, that we can push on.”
Dessers praised substitute Todd Cantwell for setting him up for his goal which rounded off probably Rangers’ best performance of the season so far.
He said: “When Todd came on you could see his quality. I saw Tav (James Tavernier) making the run as he always does, and he pulled two defenders with him, so I became free at the last moment.
“It was an unbelievable pass from Todd to find me, I faked the shot, before putting it into the corner. I’m really happy about the goal.
“The atmosphere was unbelievable. The gaffer said at half-time that we had the fans behind us, that we need to keep up the energy, and we picked some early balls up in the second half and it got the crowd going.
“You can then see what’s possible at Ibrox and it was a nice afternoon to be playing with 50,000 people.”
A powerful Rangers performance ended the Easter Road side’s six-game unbeaten run – five under Nick Montgomery – and the Hibs boss said: “I genuinely thought we quietened them down at the start, played some good stuff, but the first goal is really important.
“After that it takes a bit of pressure off them, they get into the game a bit more. The second goal really did come at a time when we could have got back in the game.
“At 2-0 down, you have to come out and try to play. If you just sit back, you’re not going to score a goal.
“But we weren’t great in the final third. And a couple of sloppy mistakes at the back against clinical players cost us. That was the disappointing thing for me.”
Plans are being drawn up for Jack Catterall to face Josh Taylor again, with Manchester or Glasgow primed to host the grudge match in 2024.
British super-lightweight Catterall claimed a unanimous decision victory over former three-weight champion Jorge Linares in Liverpool on Saturday night.
Two of the judges scored the fight 116-112 with another 117-111 in favour of Catterall, who is in line to face the winner of the December clash between WBC-belt holder Regis Prograis and Devin Haney, but is set to sidestep the world title shot to settle his score with long-standing foe Taylor.
Catterall lost in controversial circumstances to Taylor in February 2022, when the WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO super-lightweight belts were on the line with the Scottish boxer earning a split decision victory despite being put down in the eighth round and largely struggling against his English opponent.
“Taylor, where are ya? Let’s have it,” Catterall (28-1, 13KOs) said during his ringside interview.
Matchroom Sport chairman Eddie Hearn, who promoters Catterall, confirmed talks with Taylor’s Top Rank representatives will begin soon.
Hearn told Matchroom Boxing: “They are two guys who cannot stand each other.
“Josh Taylor is spiteful in and out of the ring, he is fantastic in the build-up and that would bring the best out of Jack Catterall, who is quite quiet and relaxed in general.
“The first fight was extremely controversial, we could do that in Manchester or Glasgow and we’ll be speaking to Top Rank to try and make it happen.”
Taylor had been expected to move up to the welterweight category following his defeat to Teofimo Lopez in June, but he was active on X, formerly known as Twitter, during Catterall’s bout with Linares and insisted his rival “couldn’t finish a roast dinner” after going the distance.
“I think you’ve seen with the success of Wood-Warrington, Smith-Eubank, potentially Benn-Eubank as well, the British fights work,” Hearn explained.
“There is so much bad blood between Josh Taylor and Jack Catterall the build-up is going to be electric, it’s going to be spiteful and going to get people involved because of the narrative.
“They know from the first fight it could sell-out in Manchester or Glasgow and I think it’s the right fight for both fighters.
“Every fighter wants to win a world title, Jack arguably should have all of them but he hasn’t. Outside of a world championship fight, the rematch is one that definitely makes sense.”
Jeremy Doku is convinced Manchester City are the best and is determined to prove it.
The Belgium winger shone as the champions got back to winning ways in the Premier League on Saturday with a hard-fought 2-1 success over Brighton at the Etihad Stadium.
Doku created City’s opening goal for Julian Alvarez and was a constant threat on the left as City put the successive defeats they suffered prior to the international break behind them.
Doku, a £55million summer signing from Rennes, said: “It was very important – not only for the table but also just for us in our heads.
“It was a difficult game but we are a good team, the best team for me and we have to prove it every time, every game we are on the pitch. Here, we did it.”
City looked to be cruising to victory after Alvarez’s seventh goal of the campaign on seven minutes was followed by a clinical strike from Erling Haaland 12 minutes later.
Doku, who gave veteran former City player James Milner a particularly torrid time, twice curled efforts narrowly over as the hosts threatened more.
The Seagulls rallied after the break Ansu Fati gave them hope with a reply 17 minutes from time.
City were then left clinging on after Manuel Akanji was sent off for a second bookable offence in stoppage time, a dismissal that means he will now miss next weekend’s Manchester derby.
“Some games like this are difficult but we kept on going,” said Doku. “It was 10 against 11 at the end but we showed that we are there mentality, so aggressive.
“We’re happy with the result after some difficult results that we had the past weeks. It was important mentally and I hope we can keep on going like this.”
For Brighton, the result was compounded by the loss of Danny Welbeck and Solly March to injury, the pair joining an already lengthy casualty list that includes Julio Enciso, Jakub Moder, Pervis Estupinan and Tariq Lamptey.
Yet after being outplayed in the first half, the visitors can take confidence from their recovery in the second period.
Goalkeeper Jason Steele said: “It was a game of two halves. In the first half we didn’t play good, nowhere near good enough for our level.
“In the second half I think we showed what we’re about a lot more. We were braver, we pressed better and that was the big difference.
“We had the chances in the second half to definitely get a point and ultimately we didn’t, so we leave disappointed.
“But with the second-half performance, at least we showed ourselves a little bit more.”
England have until Monday morning to lodge a complaint after Tom Curry alleged he was the victim of a racist slur in Saturday’s 16-15 World Cup semi-final defeat by South Africa.
Curry drew the incident involving hooker Mbongeni Mbonambi to the attention of referee Ben O’Keeffe around the half-hour mark of the match at the Stade de France.
Although the alleged slur is not audible on the ref link, Curry’s subsequent conversation with O’Keeffe is.
“Sir, if their hooker calls me a white c***, what do I do?” the Sale flanker said.
O’Keeffe replied: “Nothing, please. I’ll be on it.”
When asked after the match if Mbonambi had said something he shouldn’t have done, Curry replied “yeah”, although he declined to reveal what was said.
Mbonambi refused to shake Curry’s hand at the end of a dramatic clash in Paris that was won by Handre Pollard’s penalty after 78 minutes.
The PA news agency has contacted World Rugby and the South Africa Rugby Union for comment.
Eddie Howe has saluted unsung hero Jacob Murphy after watching him inspire Newcastle to Premier League victory over Crystal Palace.
Murphy, a £12million signing from Norwich in July 2017, has been a peripheral character for much of his time at St James’ Park to date and was sent out on loan to West Brom and Sheffield Wednesday before Howe’s appointment as head coach in November 2021.
However, it was the 28-year-old that the manager turned to for the club’s first Champions League fixture in 20 years at AC Milan last month, and he was asked to fill the injured Harvey Barnes’ boots against Palace, responding with the opening goal and setting up two of the three which followed in a 4-0 win.
Asked about the contribution of a man whose future at one point looked to lie away from St James’ Park, Howe said: “He’s someone who is the ultimate professional. He’s reliable, plays multiple positions and has never let me down.
“For me, it’s all about consistency. What you’re looking for from the players’ perspective is that they turn up every day and give their best.
“Now, you’re going to have some good days and you’re going to have some bad days. I always say that the key response is how you handle the bad days.
“Before I came here, Jacob had some difficult moments, but you have to keep coming back.
“You have to be really resilient, you have to keep turning up, and I believe that if you do the right things off the pitch, then eventually you’ll show the right things on the pitch.
“For me, he’s just been that model of consistency in his approach and attitude.
“It’s great to see someone who puts that work in rewarded with an opportunity, and then it’s all about taking that opportunity. He’s done that, and it’s great to see.”
Murphy’s fourth-minute opener, a lob towards Callum Wilson which looped over keeper Sam Johnstone and crept inside the far post, set the Magpies on their way, but it was two goals inside three minutes at the end of the first half which put them out of sight as Anthony Gordon, from Murphy’s cross, and Sean Longstaff found the back of the net.
Callum Wilson completed the scoring 24 minutes from time with the former Canaries winger again supplying the assist to send Newcastle, who used midfielder Sandro Tonali as a second-half substitute as he awaits the outcome of a betting investigation, into Wednesday night’s Champions League clash with Borussia Dortmund on Tyneside confident they can build upon their 4-1 demolition of Paris St Germain.
Howe said: “After the PSG win, we want to continue our momentum and see where it takes us.”
Opposite number Roy Hodgson left the north-east in sombre mood after a day to forget.
Hodgson said: “We were unfortunate with the first goal, of course, that didn’t help, that freak goal.
“If we’d have scored it, I’d have be delighted, but it’s a tough goal to have against you after a few minutes because that’s not one that really has come about because you’ve got it totally wrong defensively.”
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag says Harry Maguire is “playing like we want him to” after a man-of-the-match performance in the 2-1 win at Sheffield United.
Maguire started his second successive Premier League game and stood out against his former club at Bramall Lane as the Red Devils marked the death of Sir Bobby Charlton with three points.
The England centre-half’s career at Old Trafford appeared to be over after he was stripped of the captaincy and allowed to explore the possibility of signing for West Ham in the summer, but he was always committed to regaining Ten Hag’s favour.
He looks to be doing that now, with the Dutchman impressed by his Bramall Lane performance.
“I have to say Harry is playing like we want him to play,” he said.
“Very proactive out of possession, dominating his opponent, stepping in when necessary, reading the game, good covering but also in possession very proactive, stepping in, delivering good passes, switching, yes, I am happy with his performance.”
The Red Devils hardly put in a fitting performance to remember Charlton by but they got the job done against a team who are yet to win this season.
They went ahead against the run of play when Scott McTominay scored his third goal in two games but Oli McBurnie’s penalty quickly levelled for the Blades before the break.
Ten Hag’s men improved after the interval and won it in the 77th minute through Diogo Dalot’s curling effort.
A long season is on the cards for the Blades, who have taken just one point from their opening nine games of the season.
They have been hit hard by injuries, losing captain John Egan and vice-captain Chris Basham to serious knocks, and they suffered more bad news on that front.
Anel Ahmedhodzic missed out with a hamstring injury, while McBurnie limped off with a groin problem.
On Ahmedhodzic, boss Paul Heckingbottom said: “It’s his hamstring. He jumped for a header in training and hurt his hamstring. He’s had a scan. It will be weeks.”
“Oli’s groin started impacting him. It was sore at half-time and we tried taping it up but you could see it was impacting him running.
“We had to bring him off because he was hindered by that but also to protect him as well.”
Ange Postecoglou has talked up the professionalism of Tottenham midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg ahead of his anticipated first Premier League start of the season.
Hojbjerg is expected to be drafted into the Spurs line-up for the visit of Fulham on Monday due to Yves Bissouma’s one-match ban for his red card at Luton.
Denmark international Hojbjerg was heavily linked with a move away from Tottenham this summer and Fulham registered an interest in the 28-year-old on transfer deadline day, but no switch to the London club or Atletico Madrid materialised.
While Hojbjerg has only started once this season in the Carabao Cup, he has been introduced in seven of Spurs’ eight league fixtures and become a key figure off the bench for his new head coach.
“I don’t think there was any time during the transfer window where I thought Pierre would move,” Postecoglou insisted.
“The discussions I had with him were that he was here and wanted to contribute, he wanted to be part of what we were building.
“It is obvious someone that has played regularly would have wanted to play more but ultimately our performances have been strong and he has had to bide his time.
“He has also been very important in a lot of the games that we’ve won late or had to shore up late. He has been one of the people who has helped us and it is not like he hasn’t contributed at all. He’s been a really important part for us.
“We wouldn’t be in this position if we were just reliant on our starting XI.
“It is something we impress on all of the guys that as disappointed as you are at not starting, it doesn’t mean you are not playing. You are still playing at some point and what you do with those minutes will help us be successful and push your own cause.
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“With Pierre, he is a professional and very determined to win a spot in the team. He presents himself well every day and over a 38-game season all of these guys will get an opportunity at some point. What they do with that is up to them.
“In the meantime, what is important is if they want to keep getting opportunities, they have to train well and when they do play, whether they start or not, they contribute to the team.”
Hojbjerg continues to be linked with a move away from Tottenham, but could earn further opportunities in the coming months.
Spurs will lose Pape Sarr of Senegal and Mali international Bissouma at the start of 2024 for the Africa Cup of Nations, which runs between January 13 and February 11.
That is a problem for Postecoglou to worry about in the future, but his immediate concern is facing Marco Silva’s Fulham without Bissouma, one of Tottenham’s players of the season.
He added: “(I’m) realistic enough to know you’re not going to run with the same XI and every week you wrestle with what the best sort of line up is going to be for you; fitness, form, the way they’re training, the opposition.
“With Bissouma missing out this game, we had to adjust without him at Luton which I thought we did awfully well with 10-men.
“We’ve got some options. Certainly Pierre is a ready-made replacement.
“He’s been training really hard, he’s obviously probably wanted to be playing more because he’s pretty much been a constant for the last two to three years, but when he has come on for us he’s done really well.
“For me he’s the logical one to come in but we’ve got some sessions left.”
Collin Morikawa claimed his first PGA Tour win for two years with a storming victory at the Zozo Championship in Japan.
The 26-year-old American began the final day two off the lead but a seven-under-par round of 63 at Chiba carried him to victory by six shots ahead of Eric Cole and Beau Hossler.
Morikawa, who is of Japanese heritage, carded seven birdies and no bogeys in a near perfect final round, finishing off in style with a birdie on the 18th for a 14 under par total.
It brought him a first win since he claimed the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai in November 2021, which followed on from his victory at the Open the same year.
Morikawa won his first major title at the PGA Championship in 2020 in only his second appearance at one of golf’s four biggest events, a year after his maiden PGA Tour victory at the Barracuda Championship.
He was the first-round leader at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club but seemed to have dropped out of contention after a disappointing second-round 73 and then a poor start to his third round but he finished it with five birdies from the final six holes to put himself in a good position going into Sunday.
The Philadelphia Phillies are one win away from returning to the World Series.
Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper and J.T. Realmuto each hit home runs, Zack Wheeler pitched seven strong innings and the Phillies beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 6-1 Saturday to take a 3-2 NLCS lead.
Philadelphia bounced back from losses in Games 3 and 4 with their sixth multi-homer game of this postseason, and Wheeler won a battle of aces against Arizona’s Zac Gallen.
The Phillies jumped on Gallen for two runs in the first, courtesy of a Bryson Stott RBI single and Harper swiping home on a double-steal call.
Harper and Schwarber stayed red hot with solo shots off Gallen in the sixth to expand the lead to 4-0.
Schwarber’s home run was his fifth of the series and was the 20th of his postseason career, pulling him into a tie for fourth all-time with Derek Jeter.
Harper reached base three times and scored three runs, and last year’s NLCS MVP is batting .343 with a 1.282 OPS this postseason.
Arizona cut the lead to 4-1 in the seventh when Game 4 hero Alek Thomas took Wheeler deep, but Realmuto added insurance with his two-run blast off Luis Frias in the eighth.
Wheeler allowed one run and six hits in seven innings while striking out eight and lowering his career postseason ERA to 2.48.
With a healthy cushion late, the Phillies were able to rest key relievers Jose Alvarado and Craig Kimbrel.
After a travel day Sunday, Aaron Nola is slated to start Monday at home as the Phillies look to repeat as National League champions. Merrill Kelly will take the bump for Arizona, hoping to extend the Diamondbacks’ season.
Wayne Rooney made a shock U-turn and signed a new five-year deal at Manchester United on this day in 2010.
It came as quite a shock when Rooney signed a new contract just two days after the United and England striker had announced his intention to quit Old Trafford when he released a statement which questioned the club’s ambition.
The then 24-year-old let rip at the club’s leadership and said he would not be agreeing new terms following meetings with chief executive David Gill.
“During those meetings in August I asked for assurances about the continued ability of the club to attract the top players in the world,” said Rooney.
“I met with David Gill last week he did not give me any of the assurances I was seeking about the future squad. I then told him that I would not be signing a new contract.”
Reports of Rooney’s dissatisfaction had been rumbling for a few days, with a “dumbfounded” manager Sir Alex Ferguson also confirming the forward’s desire to leave.
Ferguson said: “We are as bemused as anyone can be, we can’t quite understand why he would want to leave.
“I was dumbfounded. Only months before he was saying he was at the greatest club in the world.”
Rumours started to spread about Rooney wanting to ditch United for rivals Manchester City, who were among many of the clubs keen to sign him, something which led to around 30 protesters gathering outside his Cheshire home.
Given the strength of Rooney’s statement, nobody expected the Liverpudlian to put pen to paper on a new contract.
Rooney’s U-turn came after conversations with Ferguson and the club’s owners who convinced the England international to commit his future to the club.
“I’m delighted to sign another deal at United,” he said. “I’ve spoken to the manager and the owners and they’ve convinced me this is where I belong.”
Ferguson added: “I think Wayne now understands what a great club Manchester United is.”
Rooney, who had joined United from Everton in 2004, stayed at the club for a further seven years and went on to become the club’s record scorer with 253 goals.
Canadian-bred American Tap, under steady guidance from jockey Tevin Foster, earned her first victory on Jamaican soil with powerful debut performance that left rivals struggling in the $1.25 million Nigel B Nunes Memorial Cup feature at Caymanas Park on Saturday.
Much like she did at exercise, the six-year-old bay mare, who is one of six overseas horses expected to line up in the lucrative Mouttet Mile in December, displayed pace and class in a comfortable 4-3/4 lengths win, in the three-year-olds and upward Non-Restricted Overnight Allowance contest for over five furlongs (1,000m) straight.
Conditioned by Howard Jaghai, American Tap, running from the wide number 13 draw in the 15-horse field, and quickly match strides with Ultimate Machine (Dane Dawkins), True Bravado (Phillip Parchment), and Press Conference (Richard Henry), in the early exchanges.
By the time the sort themselves out and came across the dummy rails, the Tapiture -American Castle mare, American Tap proved the superior speed, and with very little reminders from Foster, she briskly pulled away and powered home to justify the 1-2 favouritism.
American Tap stopped the clock in an eye-catching 58.2 seconds, after splits of 23.1 and 46.0 seconds, and the fact that she literally cantered the latter stages of the contest, all but indicates her credentials for what could be a fruitful outing in Jamaica.
Press Conference, Ring Charmer (Roger Hewitt) and Duke (Allan Maragh) completed the frame.
American Tap completed a double for Foster, who earlier piloted the Anthony Nunes-trained Captain Calico to victory in the seventh event.
Another in-form rider, Raddesh Roman, also had a double with Ricardo Brown’s KP Choice in the second event and From Sheer To Ben conditioned by Alford Brown in the ninth and final contest.
A Sevilla supporter was ejected from their LaLiga match with Real Madrid after allegedly directing racist abuse towards Vinicius Jr during the 1-1 draw.
The Brazil international played 88 minutes of the fixture at Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan where Madrid captain Dani Carvajal’s header 12 minutes from time cancelled out David Alaba’s own goal.
Vinicius Jr later posted on social media about being on the receiving end of racism during the match on Saturday night, which Sevilla have now confirmed was the case.
A club statement read: “Sevilla FC would like to communicate that, after detecting xenophobic and racist behaviour, a member of the public was identified, ejected from the stadium and handed over to legal authorities.
“The individual will also be subject to the club’s vigorous internal disciplinary protocols and have their membership revoked.
“Sevilla FC condemns all racist and xenophobic behaviour and will work closely with the authorities to ensure that action is taken accordingly. This behaviour does not belong at Sevilla FC.”
Vinicius Jr was in the thick of the action throughout the draw, denied a penalty at the end of the first half before he was booked five minutes from time after he clashed with Sevilla goalkeeper Orjan Nyland, which sparked a brief melee between both sets of players.
It was only back in May when Madrid filed racism directed at Vinicius Jr as a “hate crime” to the Spanish State Attorney General’s Office following a string of alleged racist attacks aimed at the 23-year-old.
LaLiga called at the time for a legislation change to allow them to impose punishment on clubs for episodes of racist abuse and Vinicius Jr has stressed once more the need for change, especially with Spain hoping to host the 2030 World Cup alongside Portugal and Morocco.
“Congratulations to Sevilla on the quick positioning and the penalty in another sad episode for Spanish Football,” Vinicius Jr said in a social media post.
“Unfortunately I have access to a video of another racist act at this Saturday’s game, this time carried out by a child. So sad there is no one to educate her. I invest, and I invest a lot, in education in Brazil to train citizens with different attitudes.
“The face of today’s racist is stamped on websites as on several other times. I hope the Spanish authorities do their part and change the legislation once and for all. These people need to be criminally punished too.
“It would be a great first step to prepare for the 2030 World Cup. I am here to help.
“Sorry to sound repetitive but it’s episode number 19. And counting.”
Steve Borthwick vowed to use England’s heartbreaking World Cup semi-final exit at the hands of South Africa to sow a seed for future success.
Borthwick’s unfancied side led by nine points in the final quarter and were on the cusp of a famous win until Handre Pollard’s late penalty condemned them to an agonising 16-15 defeat.
Many of England’s players collapsed to their knees following a colossal, but ultimately unsuccessful, effort against the reigning champions on a sodden evening in Paris.
While head coach Borthwick was similarly crestfallen by the dramatic late twist at Stade de France, he was proud of the efforts of his team and upbeat about what lies ahead.
“We came here with a plan to win the game and we fell a little bit short, not far short but a little bit short, so we’re desperately disappointed,” he said.
“I think we all truly believed we could do it, we were going to do it, and we came very close to doing so.
“In adversity, in these tough times, there’s usually some seed of it there that will grow and be something brilliant in the future.
“Right now it’s too early for me to find that seed but we’ll make sure we find it.
“We’ll make sure that we take some of what we find tonight, some of what we’ve gone through tonight, we’ll make sure we grab that and we’ll make sure it makes us stronger in the future.”
Captain Owen Farrell produced an outstanding performance, kicking all of his side’s points, including a superb drop goal.
His efforts looked to be sufficient for victory but RG Snyman barged over for the only try of the match in the 70th minute to set up a grandstand finish.
Man-of-the-match Pollard, who booted the Springboks to victory over England in the 2019 final, nailed the tricky conversion and then landed a monster penalty two minutes from time to inflict more anguish on the opposition.
“The players should be incredibly proud of what they’ve done and continue to do as they represent England rugby,” continued Borthwick.
“I know I’ll have at home a couple of young boys who are going to be bitterly disappointed and I’m sure there are lots of people that are proud but also gutted back in England, I’m sure there are millions of people like that.
“I care about these players, I care about these supporters, and I care about English rugby.
“What I see is a group of guys who are doing as much as they possibly can to set an example, to build a team, to have supporters proud of them.
“They’re led by this man next to me (Farrell), who I think has been and continues to be a phenomenal player and an incredible leader of this team.”
New Zealand await South Africa in next weekend’s final.
Springboks head coach Jacques Nienaber praised his team’s fighting spirit.
“I pay a lot of credit to England,” he said. “They were outstanding on the night.
“They had a very good tactical plan and they put us under pressure. We will have to improve because it took us some time to get to grips with it.
“But the strength of this team is that even if we’re not playing well we find a way to get the result.
“It took 80 minutes to get a foothold in the game. The team refused to give up and fought until the end.”
Springboks captain Siya Kolisi was convinced fly-half Pollard, who came on for Manie Libbok with only half an hour gone, would land the decisive penalty from just inside England’s half.
“I had no doubt at all,” he said. “He’s done it for us before.
“England are a world-class team and completely different to a year ago. They had an amazing game plan which we took too long to adapt to.
“These things happen but we dug deep to get the victory. Other teams wouldn’t be able to get the win from this. I’m not going to say it was ugly, we did what was needed.”
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