{"id":294069,"date":"2023-10-23T05:39:33","date_gmt":"2023-10-23T05:39:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportslifetale.com\/?p=294069"},"modified":"2023-10-23T05:39:33","modified_gmt":"2023-10-23T05:39:33","slug":"matt-dawson-wants-england-stars-dropped-for-rugby-world-cup-third-place-tie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportslifetale.com\/rugby-league\/matt-dawson-wants-england-stars-dropped-for-rugby-world-cup-third-place-tie\/","title":{"rendered":"Matt Dawson wants England stars dropped for Rugby World Cup third-place tie"},"content":{"rendered":"

England v South Africa review<\/h3>\n

Rugby World Cup winner Matt Dawson has called on England boss Steve Borthwick to drop his senior stars in favour of fringe players for their third-place play-off with Argentina on Friday. Dawson believes that the head coach will want to name a strong XV in order to seal a bronze medal, but may see greater long-term gains by rotating heavily.<\/p>\n

Many will view the tie as a dead rubber, as England and Argentina both will have been hoping to make the final the following day but for defeats to South Africa and New Zealand respectively.<\/p>\n

Coaches often differ in their approaches to such games, with some opting to rotate and hand out opportunities for those to impress who have rarely featured, while others want to end the tournament on a high and go full-strength to increase their chances of winning.<\/p>\n

Dawson thinks that Borthwick will fall into the latter category, as several members of the team that endured heartbreak in their 16-15 defeat to South Africa in the semi-final could be given the chance to end the World Cup with victory against the Pumas – but England\u2019s Six Nation hopes may be improved if Borthwick rotates.<\/p>\n

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\u201cFriday’s third-place play-off against Argentina is a funny sort of fixture,\u201d Dawson wrote for the BBC. \u201cIt might be one more for fringe players to try and press their case before next year’s Six Nations. It probably won’t be Steve Borthwick’s style, but I would approach it almost like a Barbarians fixture.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis England squad will never be together again. This tournament is unique to those in that camp. I would give them the space and freedom to bond and socialise together as people, rather than players. Let them create more memories and then go out and chase a win together.\u201d<\/p>\n