“I guess as a team we like drama.” The South African Pieter-Steph du Toit said it at the end of the final. The Springboks have become world champions, winning their three life-or-death matches by one point. But, more than the resilience to the drama, the team has weighed. South Africa, world champions, only appears on the podium for defensive statistics. It is the second team that has conceded the fewest tries (eight in seven games) and the first in tackles. In the final he made 208 to New Zealand's 92. Du Toit himself, 28.

South Africans have internalized American football coach Bear Bryant's phrase: “Attack sells tickets, defense wins championships.” They have formed a very veteran squad, especially up front; Only 7 of the 23 called up for the decisive match were under 30 years old. And at the same time very versatile, with a handful of versatile players. The symbol is Deon Fourie. He debuted in the national team at 36 years old and at 37 he played 77 minutes of the final. When heeler Malcolm Marx was injured, Fourie resumed a position he had not occupied in the last five years.

Fourie's reconversion made it possible for Marx's loss to be covered with an absolutely different player. The sniper Handré Pollard. He has hit all the punishment blows that he has thrown at clubs. South Africa and also England, third in this World Cup, have remembered that matches are also won with the foot, adding three at a time. Another style, perhaps more grateful to the spectator, has been exhibited by the spectacular New Zealand, a try-scoring machine, 49 in the entire championship. However, in the final he only scored one in eight innings in the opposing 22nd.

Almost countercultural trend

If rugby has not been a sport for 15 players, but for 23, for a long time, the physical demands of the 2023 World Cup in France have expanded the focus to the 33 in each squad.. With their gala fifteen, Ireland beat South Africa in the first phase and showed off in the rest of the matches. In the quarterfinals, against a New Zealand that had rotated its squad in the previous phase, it could not convert its last and endless attack into points. He fell – among other reasons – prey to his own fatigue.

Among the contrast of styles, an almost countercultural trend has reappeared in France. Faced with the evolution of the regulations to favor quick matches and with less influence of the scrum, South Africa above all used that formation to start the penalty shots that allowed them to come back in the quarterfinals and the semifinal. “Salads don't win scrums,” recalled his pilier Ox Nché, who is most in favor of cake, before the tournament.. And in a scrum, the last of the championship, New Zealand was on the verge of winning the ball and a hope of turning around the final. Eight against eight a few feet from the ground, the symbol has returned.

This claim occurs when, in the context of the game, the scrum is formed less and less frequently and the throw-in is the most sought-after platform, especially in the opposing 22. Large and small selections have found in this choreography of heights the origin of a very significant percentage of their rehearsals.. Ireland has achieved 17 out of 30 and Australia, 8 out of 11. These phases with the involvement of many players, along with the maul and the ruck – the New Zealand one, slower than usual in the final – illustrate the intensity of traditional rugby compared to the more colorful rugby sevens.

New Zealanders Williams and Retallick attract the attention of referee Antonin Thuillier AFP

With which it ends, nine of the ten world championships have been conquered by southern countries. Another fiasco from the north? Disappointment in the result and in their previous expectations, not in the level shown. Until the last minute, France, Ireland and England had the possibility of eliminating the finalists. Both data are significant: that all of them were ready and that none of them achieved it. Without a doubt, they have competed. The same can be said, in the south, of New Zealand. The All Blacks fell by one point, true to their style and with courage. It seems difficult to maintain that they have failed.

Nor has France 2023 been the World Cup of surprises. Australia's puncture was obvious and Fiji had already shown signs of improvement. They would be the only teams that have changed steps. England and Wales have improved with their new coaches, the XV de la Rosa has completed a very good tournament. Argentina, without enthusiasm, has occupied a positive fourth place. The progression of Scotland, Italy, Japan and Georgia has not allowed them to reach the quarterfinals. Last-minute reinforcements have not helped Tonga and Samoa to climb positions either.. Among the modest ones, Portugal and Uruguay have been exciting.

Revenue and visibility

Despite some defeats in the group stage, the intensity of the qualifying rounds – seven of the eight matches resolved by less than a converted try – has made this World Cup an attractive spectacle.. According to the International Federation, more than 2.4 million people have attended the stadiums (about 50,000 on average per match) and the broadcast audience has reached 800 million viewers.. And the future? The 2027 World Cup in Australia will have 24 teams. An opportunity for more emerging countries, perhaps Spain among them, to have income and visibility.

But during the championship the International Federation (World Rugby) has also announced that, respecting the existing private tournaments, it creates another competition in even-numbered years with two divisions of 12 teams.. The Spaniard, probably in the lower-middle half of the second category, can contribute games against rivals of her level.. But the fact that there will be no promotions and relegations between those two divisions until at least 2030 frustrates those who are already approaching the first level.

“I am very proud of developing countries,” Fiji coach Simon Raiwalui claimed at the World Cup, asking that they be helped to “break down barriers.”. He alluded to this double policy of World Rugby. On the one hand, it provides funds and knowledge to emerging countries; on the other, it delays and limits the possibility of the most advantaged among them facing the best. The paradox of a sport that aspires to be global but where a hierarchy is so static that even the participants in the world championships tend to repeat themselves every four years. In France, the champion has also been repeated, due to his own undeniable merits.

He waits for journalists at the door of the building where he works. Impeccable, Luis de la Fuente (Haro, La Rioja, 62 years old), shakes hands with frankness and faces the interview with the calm that comes with qualifying for the Euro Cup and the formation of a recognizable block in a short time, somewhat distant and echoes of his controversial applause for Rubiales on August 25. Greet the girls at the reception of the Las Rozas Football City residence and shake hands with Santiago, the bar waiter.

He does not seem concerned about the fact that on Thursday he must go to testify as a witness at the National Court, perhaps because, like other employees of the Federation, he had nothing to do with everything related to Jenni Hermoso.. A coffee, a water and nothing for the coach, who sits in a not very comfortable seat.

How are you doing? Qualified for the Euro Cup, almost without criticism…I am happy, and I am calm. I have always been calm, and now I am satisfied, happy, glad to have achieved the objectives in an outstanding way, something that reinforces the approach we had in March when we started. I feel reinforced. What adjective would you give to these 11 months in office? Exciting. My work is passion. I am privileged to turn my passion into my job for more than 40 years. Nothing has surprised me. Well yes, the media impact of everything I do. What has been the most difficult? Understanding that there are situations that you think you have under control and that you see that, due to media monitoring, that is not the case. Maybe handling that new situation, seeing that whatever you do has a lot of impact, has been the most difficult. When did you realize that? Almost immediately. At the presentation press conference, the following days were already different.. Until that moment I read and watched everything, I was aware of everything that was said about me, but I realized that it is very difficult to live being so informed of everything that is said about you.. So I said: 'it is better to live a little in ignorance'. Is it almost the only option to not go crazy? I would say yes. Anyone who says they are impervious to comments is lying.. We all have our little hearts and it is impossible. To make decisions more independently, it is essential to isolate yourself a little. How do you think people see you? I don't know if they see me that way, but I want them to see me as a normal, accessible, approachable person.. That I am aware of the great importance of my work, but close. Are you worried about what people think of you? No, I am not worried. The vast majority of people who know me have a good impression. I am a person who does what I say, and I have complied naturally. You also can't control what they think of you.. I try to make a good impression, but then some will like me and others less. What did you learn from everything that happened to you in the 'Rubiales case'? I learned something very important: that we can all make mistakes, that you have to be humble to accept mistakes and recognize them, and you have to be generous to forgive. Were you afraid that those applauses for the former president would affect his position? I didn't think about that. I only thought about having a clear conscience, about doing what I had to do.. The consequences didn't worry me. I was worried about being satisfied with myself and once I reflected and understood what I had to do, I did it: I had made a mistake and I apologized, I asked for forgiveness. What do you think when you see that the women's team asks for more support from the men's team? We really support a lot, in public and in private. There is always room for improvement, but we help a lot and we will do everything in our power.. Nobody holds back any support for women's football or any branch of the Federation.

De la Fuente, before the interview. ÁNGEL NAVARRETE Del Bosque does not like that people put what a good person he is before his professional merits. Does something similar happen to you? No, no, not at all. For me, being a good person is essential, it is an added value. Give me good people, first of all, and then good professionals. But do you prefer people to say: 'he's a good person, but a bad coach'? Professionally, the results put you in your place. Professional assessment is subjective. But what I think is most important is that they tell you that you are a good person. It is better to live by doing good than by doing evil, evil does not rest. In eight games he has built a recognizable block. It's not easy. We know the raw material, the players, and the space where you move very well. Being a coach is being a specialist. In these eleven years that I have been at home I have learned to be a coach, which is not the same as being a club coach. When I was appointed, I knew the present and future of Spanish football like few others, thanks to my work. That helps. There is a general feeling that the generation of Spanish players today are worse than those who won it all. Is that so? Evaluations must be made after the fact. In 2007, no one thought that we were going to be champions in 2008. The assessment of this generation will have to be done over time. But I am very optimistic because I know them well, they come from winning everything in the lower categories and normally that portends a good future. Individually we have high quality footballers. If we are able to form a team, we have all the arguments to fight for something important. Winning is very difficult, but being in a position to win is. Give me a reason to believe in God. Otherwise, life would have no meaning. It's something you have to live, it should have been explained to you. I am religious because I have decided to be. I come from a religious family, but during my life, I have had many doubts and I have been away from religion. But at one point in my life, I decided to reach out again and lean on God for everything I do.. There is not one, but a thousand reasons to believe in God. Without God, nothing in life has meaning.

We support the women's team a lot. In public and in private

We will be populists, or not. If God exists, why does he allow tragedies like the one we see these days in Gaza or in so many other places? Life has those things. God is not responsible for that, it is men who are responsible for what we do.. We are the men who make the decisions. HE was also a man and he also made mistakes. God doesn't have to be guarding anyone. It's a matter of looking at ourselves and thinking what we are doing wrong for these things to happen. What are your hobbies? Faith and football are the driving forces of my life. Obviously my family, my friends… But I spend the day watching football. But I don't just watch football, because it's boring, right? Look, the other day I went to the cinema. I am from the generation that grew up with Rocky Balboa. Tireless, indefatigable, constant, you hit me and I get up… The other day I went to see 'Mercenaries 4' and if there is another Rocky one, I'm going to see it. I have been educated with those concepts of improvement, of effort, of work…Do you think that the new generations have lost those values? Yes, I am totally convinced. Values have been lost, surely because the demands we have had on our children are not the same as those our parents had on us. Having those values should never go out of style. These values are non-negotiable. But if they are lost it is the parents' fault. Things have to be earned. There doesn't have to be anything free. We all want the best for our children, that's clear, but that doesn't mean giving things away for free.. Because today's kids are the adults of the future.

The national coach, in Las Rozas. ÁNGEL NAVARRETE Has your mortgage increased? Yes, of course, like everyone else. And not a little. Are you going to do the shopping? Yes, here in Madrid I live alone and I have to do the shopping. Kitchen? No. Like almost always outside. How many hours do you sleep a day? Little. Four, five, six at most. I go to bed late and I'm an early riser. My father one day, when I was young, saw me lying down at 9 in the morning and told me: 'You spend your life in a dream.'. I like to get up early, live, enjoy.Deny me that football is increasingly boring.For me it is exciting. I always enjoy it, all the games are good. Football evolves a lot, and I think we are seeing great shows.

There are a thousand reasons to believe in God. Without God, nothing in life would have meaning

But there is no one to do a dribble, or a hat…Everything can be improved, and we coaches must accept our responsibility with this. There is no need to restrict the player, let them be free so they can develop their full potential. I do not make very tactically restricted approaches, I am not a hostage to any system. I need the players to feel free. Spain is going to the Euro Cup to…Try to win.

On July 31 in Wellington (New Zealand), Spain was transformed. That setback against Japan was the spur that propelled the team towards history. He did it by conquering the World Cup and gaining momentum to write another page, that of the Olympic Games.. The road to Paris was complicated by UEFA with a demanding Nations League, but there is no one to stop the gale in Spain. With the star on their chest, after the bad was mixed with the good, this team chained one victory after another and, given the slightest weakness of their rivals, the rout. Switzerland knows this well, to which it has scored 12 goals in just over a month. Montse Tomé's team – undefeated at the head of the bench – sets foot in the 'final four' and will be able to close the classification in the first match of December after Sweden's draw with Italy (1-1).

He made the Helvetians, who had conspired, shake in five minutes without even having barely positioned themselves on the field.. The first corner kick was put by Tere Abelleira at the far post where Oihane Hernández appeared alone to score the first goal. Switzerland fell into the trap of crowding at the short post and the Real Madrid side found themselves comfortable heading in.

When they had not yet recovered from the first blow, Alexia Putellas arrived to deliver the second blow.. The captain found Salma Paralluelo's cross from the baseline in the heart of the area. Switzerland knew what was coming and the players, on the same pitch, gathered on the same pitch to avoid humiliation.

The game of the World champions thickened and Misa, starter in this duel, saw how first Lehmann and then Piuler put her in trouble before going to break. He had to adjust Tomé and activate his players so that they would bite again. They did it after the third goal, a header from María Méndez to another corner telegraphed by Abelleira. Then Calligaris' penalty would arrive to stop the explosive Salma Paralluelo that Alexia transformed and the look at the bench that gave legs and returned to voracious Spain. And Switzerland took advantage of a hole behind the defense to somewhat disguise the defeat. It was impossible.

The Spanish wanted more and they got it. Alexia stole in the area and hung her up for another header, this time Athenea. Salma also took advantage of the tremor of the Swiss team, who caught a ball in the area but her shot from no angle was spit out by the crossbar.. He consoled himself by assisting Athenea so that her left foot added to a rude marker that Maite Oroz rounded out.

A conditioned eleven

Irene Paredes could not join the party with her 100th match. Tomé's eleven was conditioned by a computer error that prevented the Federation from being able to upload the coach's call for the match to the UEFA platform in a timely manner and that of Italy was repeated, in which the center was low and in which even included Amaiur, who left the squad after the game in Salerno due to injury. “They explained to me what was happening at the hotel and I had to adapt to playing eleven,” the coach admitted.

For Paredes it was a perfect match to remember forever, but the tribute can be received on December 1 in Pontevedra against Italy. For María Méndez, who occupied the axis of the defense, an opportunity that she sweetened with a goal.

Jaime Fernández's family will not easily forget the last Barcelona-Real Madrid match, held last Saturday at the Montjuic Olympic stadium.. They live in a town near Barcelona and they went to the field to try to get tickets to see the classic, but they couldn't get in.. While the four waited at the doors of the venue, “between 20 and 30 Barcelona ultras”, they denounce, began to “harass and insult” their 7-year-old son, who has grade 1 autism, and even ended up throwing a firecracker at him. that provoked the little one's nerves. All, they insist, “because he was wearing a Real Madrid scarf”. The white club has contacted the boy's father to find out about his situation and show him all its support after the unpleasant incident.

Jaime, 35, has reported the situation to LaLiga, which will contact the family and analyze the Montjuic cameras to clarify what happened.

“We had stopped at the Dazn stand and they gave the boy some things. And since he likes white more, he chose the Madrid scarf,” explains Jaime in conversation with EL MUNDO, admitting that in his case “he is not a big football fan.”

As they went up to Montjuic, they approached one of the doors to see if they could get tickets, and their problems began.. “A group of about 20 or 25 people, about 30 years old, came and began to surround us and insult the boy, who was the one wearing something from Madrid.. They told him 'pig, dog, son of a bitch, take that off because we are going to burn it'…. “Everything in a very threatening attitude,” he summarizes.. As game time approached and the mass of people grew, they did not find any member of the Mossos d'Esquadra who could help them.

“My wife began to tell them that the child had autism, that they should be calm. But they went even higher. There someone came, took out a firecracker and threw it at the child's feet. We took it and it exploded just over a meter away. Imagine the shock. He panicked and became very ill. Autistic children are greatly affected by noise and crouched to the ground. We took the child and the little one, who is 3 years old, and we ran out of there,” he says, acknowledging that the little one, named Arkaitz, “was not well the next day either. I did not understand anything”.

A regrettable situation that, unfortunately, is not the first reported in the fields of Spanish football.