Declan Rice, by his own admission, is not the biggest rugby union fan. And yet the England midfielder could not help but be drawn in by the World Cup quarter-finals over the weekend, their do-or-die drama particularly New Zealand’s epic victory against Ireland.
“It’s that mindset of getting over the line,” Rice says, although, in New Zealand’s case, it technically came down to keeping Ireland from crossing theirs, defending through 37 phases of pressure at the very end to seal the 28-24 success.
The matches were on at Spurs Lodge where Rice and his teammates stayed as they prepared for the Euro 2024 qualifier against Italy at Wembley on Tuesday; England won 3-1to seal their place at the finals in Germany next summer. It was easy for Rice to draw parallels between the sports, certainly in terms of the missions at hand.
Ireland entered the World Cup as the No 1-ranked team. They beat New Zealand in the summer of last year, a historic series triumph away from home. But when it mattered most, the All Blacks found a way.
The England football team have cleared many obstacles during Gareth Southgate’s seven-year tenure. Winning away against Spain and Italy, ending decades-long sequences without such victories. They have beaten pretty much everyone in Europe apart from France. They have advanced to the later stages of the past three tournaments. But they have never been able to get over the line to win something. When it mattered the most at the 2022 World Cup, to cite the latest example, France founda way to edge the quarter-final.
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