Three Lions survive remarkable French fightback to claim third place with a 6-4 victory in Miami

ENGLAND ended their World Cup campaign with a bronze medal after defeating France 6-4 in an extraordinary third-place play-off in Miami on Saturday night.

Bukayo Saka scored a hat-trick as Thomas Tuchel’s side raced into a stunning four-goal lead before surviving a fierce second-half comeback led by Kylian Mbappé.

Declan Rice, Ezri Konsa and Jude Bellingham were also on target for England, who secured their best World Cup finish since lifting the trophy in 1966 and claimed third place in the competition for the first time.

Any fears that the disappointment of Wednesday’s semi-final defeat by Argentina would produce a subdued performance disappeared within three minutes.

Rice, wearing the captain’s armband as one of seven changes to England’s starting line-up, intercepted a poor pass from Désiré Doué before driving an emphatic finish beyond France goalkeeper Mike Maignan.

Saka briefly thought he had doubled the advantage after being released by Morgan Rogers, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside.

England did not have to wait much longer.

Rice delivered a corner into the French penalty area in the 19th minute and Konsa climbed above Adrien Rabiot to power a header past Maignan.

France struggled to cope with England’s pace on the break, although Dean Henderson was called upon to deny Mbappé after the forward cut inside from the left.

That save helped launch the move which produced England’s third goal in the 37th minute. Marcus Rashford and Saka both had efforts blocked before the Arsenal winger eventually forced the ball home.

Saka struck again in first-half stoppage time, collecting a pass from Eberechi Eze and finishing clinically to send England into the break with a remarkable 4-0 lead.

France manager Didier Deschamps responded with four substitutions at half-time and the changes immediately transformed the contest.

Mbappé pulled one back in the 48th minute after Michael Olise’s pass opened the England defence, before substitute Bradley Barcola reduced the deficit further six minutes later.

England, so composed during the opening period, suddenly looked vulnerable.

Mbappé exchanged passes with Olise before scoring his second in the 67th minute, making it 4-3 and leaving Tuchel’s side facing the possibility of surrendering a four-goal advantage.

France pressed for an equaliser, with Olise passing up a major opportunity as England desperately attempted to regain control.

The decisive moment arrived four minutes from time when England were awarded a penalty. Saka took responsibility and converted to complete his hat-trick, restoring a two-goal cushion.

Even then, the drama was not finished.

Ousmane Dembélé scored France’s fourth goal in the sixth minute of added time, but Bellingham responded almost immediately, surging through the French defence and finishing past Maignan to seal an unforgettable 6-4 victory.

The result brought an emotional conclusion to England’s campaign following their painful 2-1 semi-final defeat against Argentina.

Although the Three Lions again fell short of reaching a World Cup final, their bronze medal represents the country’s strongest showing in the competition for 60 years.

For Saka, who had remained on the bench throughout the semi-final, it was a particularly memorable response. His treble placed him alongside an elite group of England players to have scored a hat-trick at a World Cup.

France’s defeat marked the end of Deschamps’ 14-year reign as national team manager, while England will return home knowing that a chaotic and thrilling final performance at least provided a positive ending to their tournament.

France: Mbappé 48, 67; Barcola 54; Dembélé 90+6
England: Rice 3; Konsa 19; Saka 37, 45+1, 86 pen; Bellingham 90+8
Half-time: France 0-4 England
Venue: Miami Stadium
Attendance: To be confirmed

Saundersfoot preserved their unbeaten Division One record, Carew piled up more than 300, and Steve Trivett struck a magnificent 159 not out during a remarkable afternoon of Pembrokeshire cricket

WEEK 13 of the Thomas Carroll Pembroke County Cricket League delivered a feast of runs, devastating bowling spells and important results at both ends of the six divisional tables.

There were centuries for Steve Trivett, Tom Rowlands, Alan Carter, Nathan Sutton, Bradley Flood, Steve Cook and Taylor Lewis, while three bowlers claimed seven-wicket hauls.

At the top of Division One, Saundersfoot continued their outstanding unbeaten campaign, but Carew remain firmly in pursuit after producing the biggest total of the top-flight season so far this weekend.

Elsewhere, Hook tightened their grip on Division Two, Laugharne strengthened their Division Three title challenge, Narberth II moved clear in Division Four and Cresselly III continued to dominate Division Five.

Week 13’s standout performances

Category	Player	Club	Performance
Highest score	Steve Trivett	Laugharne II	159 not out
Division One star	Shaun Whitfield	Carew	84 and 3-37
Best bowling	Callum Jenkins	Llangwm II	7-20
Bowling	Sadikur Ali	Neyland III	7-24
Bowling	James Ingleton	Laugharne	7-30
All-round display	Griff Jenkins	Cresselly	42 and 3-23
Match-winning century	Alan Carter	Laugharne	122 not out
Match-winning century	Tom Rowlands	Cresselly III	126
Match-winning century	Bradley Flood	Hook II	112 not out
Match-winning century	Steve Cook	Saundersfoot II	109 not out

Division One

Saundersfoot stay unbeaten as Carew hit 302

Saundersfoot remain at the summit after completing a five-wicket victory over Herbrandston.

Jack Nicholas struck 54 in Herbrandston’s 179, but Matthew Phillips claimed 4-42 and Jon Masbridge took 2-23 before producing an unbeaten 86 in the successful reply. Sam Franklin also contributed 25 as Saundersfoot reached 180-5.

Carew remain 16 points behind after a commanding 103-run victory at Whitland. Shaun Whitfield led the way with 84, Gareth Lewis finished unbeaten on 74 and Noah Davies added 52 as Carew amassed 302-5.

Whitland replied with 199-9, Kevin Pearce making 64 and Jacob Hucker an unbeaten 32, but Whitfield completed an excellent all-round performance by taking 3-37.

Lawrenny produced the most emphatic result of the afternoon. Ryan Morton ripped through Narberth with 6-21, supported by Finley Lewis with 3-8, as the visitors were dismissed for just 70.

Charlie Arthur then struck an unbeaten 57 as Lawrenny raced to 71 without loss and completed a ten-wicket victory.

Cresselly strengthened their position in third by beating Neyland by six wickets. Griff Jenkins followed figures of 3-23 with 42 in the chase as Cresselly reached 128-4 after dismissing Neyland for 127.

St Ishmaels also enjoyed a convincing victory, restricting Burton to 146 before reaching 147-2. Thomas Williams finished unbeaten on 58, Jonathan Pawlett made 39 and Phil Cockburn added an unbeaten 27.

Division One results

Home team	Score	Away team	Score	Result
St Ishmaels	147-2	Burton	146 all out	St Ishmaels won by eight wickets
Whitland	199-9	Carew	302-5	Carew won by 103 runs
Neyland	127 all out	Cresselly	128-4	Cresselly won by six wickets
Lawrenny	71-0	Narberth	70 all out	Lawrenny won by ten wickets
Herbrandston	179 all out	Saundersfoot	180-5	Saundersfoot won by five wickets

Division One table

Pos	Team	P	W	L	Ab	T	Points
1	Saundersfoot	13	10	0	2	1	221
2	Carew	13	10	2	1	0	205
3	Cresselly	13	8	3	2	0	181
4	Neyland	13	6	4	2	1	163
5	Herbrandston	13	7	4	2	0	161
6	Narberth	13	3	7	2	1	121
7	Burton	13	4	7	2	0	118
8	St Ishmaels	13	3	7	2	1	102
9	Lawrenny	13	2	9	2	0	98
10	Whitland	13	0	10	3	0	70

Division Two

Hook hold their nerve as promotion battle tightens

Leaders Hook survived a determined Fishguard fightback to claim a tense 15-run victory.

Aled Phelps made 39, Mikey Jones 33 and Lewis Miller 29 as Hook reached 168. Fishguard’s bowlers shared the wickets, with Scott Delaney and Sion Collella taking three apiece.

Sam Kurtz struck 56 in reply, but Callum James returned 4-30 and Miller completed a valuable all-round contribution with 3-22 as Fishguard were dismissed for 153.

Pembroke defeated Johnston by 66 runs after posting 200-8. Jack Harries top-scored with 54, while Aakash Marwadi added 33. Steve Mills made an excellent 74 for Johnston, but Ceri Brace took 4-36 and Krunel Patel 3-28 to close out the victory.

Haverfordwest remain level on points with Johnston after comfortably chasing Llangwm’s 160-8. Jake Merry made 59 and Johnnie White 44 as the Town reached 163-3.

Cresselly II recorded the division’s largest win, beating Llanrhian by 121 runs. Neal Williams made 59 in a total of 220-7 before Tyler James claimed 3-8 and Matthew Lewis 3-25 as Llanrhian were bowled out for 99.

Pembroke Dock also collected an important victory, reaching 178-5 to defeat Llechryd. Jake Davies finished unbeaten on 59 and Peter Kingdom made 41.

Division Two results

Home team	Score	Away team	Score	Result
Fishguard	153 all out	Hook	168 all out	Hook won by 15 runs
Pembroke	200-8	Johnston	134 all out	Pembroke won by 66 runs
Haverfordwest	163-3	Llangwm	160-8	Haverfordwest won by seven wickets
Cresselly II	220-7	Llanrhian	99 all out	Cresselly II won by 121 runs
Llechryd	177-7	Pembroke Dock	178-5	Pembroke Dock won by five wickets

Division Two table

Pos	Team	P	W	L	Ab	T	Points
1	Hook	13	11	1	1	0	217
2	Johnston	13	9	3	1	0	198
3	Haverfordwest	13	9	4	0	0	198
4	Pembroke	13	8	3	2	0	185
5	Cresselly II	13	7	5	1	0	163
6	Fishguard	13	5	7	1	0	149
7	Pembroke Dock	13	4	7	2	0	139
8	Llechryd	13	4	8	1	0	119
9	Llanrhian	13	2	10	1	0	96
10	Llangwm	13	1	12	0	0	95

Division Three

Carter century powers Laugharne to 319

Laugharne produced one of the performances of the season as their formidable top order carried them to 319-2 against Kilgetty.

Alan Carter finished unbeaten on 122, Brendan McCay struck 97 and Callum Collins-Davies added 69.

Richard Webb responded with 76 for Kilgetty, but James Ingleton tore through the lower order with outstanding figures of 7-30 as Laugharne secured a 127-run victory.

Saundersfoot II also piled on the runs. Steve Cook struck an unbeaten 109 and Simon Stanford made 77 in a total of 267-2.

Hundleton reached a respectable 191-4, with Robson Walkey making 56 and Owen Hughes 44, but finished 76 runs short.

Carew II bowled Stackpole out for 89 before cruising to 92-1. Ethan Hall claimed 3-5, Kerry Waters took 3-18 and Simon Wood finished unbeaten on 51.

Lamphey beat Pembroke II by five wickets after David Blackwell took 3-14 and followed up with 47. Will Davies had earlier made 51 for Pembroke.

Haverfordwest II completed a seven-wicket win over Burton II, with Jason Stobbs unbeaten on 39 and Shan Perera unbeaten on 30.

Division Three results

Home team	Score	Away team	Score	Result
Burton II	133 all out	Haverfordwest II	138-3	Haverfordwest II won by seven wickets
Saundersfoot II	267-2	Hundleton	191-4	Saundersfoot II won by 76 runs
Laugharne	319-2	Kilgetty	192 all out	Laugharne won by 127 runs
Lamphey	118-5	Pembroke II	114 all out	Lamphey won by five wickets
Carew II	92-1	Stackpole	89 all out	Carew II won by nine wickets

Division Three table

Pos	Team	P	W	L	Ab	T	Points	Pen
1	Laugharne	13	10	2	1	0	209	0
2	Lamphey	13	9	3	1	0	190	0
3	Carew II	13	9	3	1	0	188	0
4	Kilgetty	13	7	5	1	0	164	0
5	Saundersfoot II	13	5	6	2	0	139	0
6	Hundleton	13	5	6	2	0	130	0
7	Pembroke II	13	5	6	2	0	130	0
8	Haverfordwest II	13	4	7	2	0	128	0
9	Burton II	12	2	8	1	1	112	20
10	Stackpole	12	0	10	1	1	63	0

Division Four

Flood’s unbeaten 112 completes Hook II chase

Bradley Flood produced a brilliant unbeaten 112 as Hook II chased down Herbrandston II’s imposing 203-6 with eight wickets remaining.

Muhammed Aaqib had made 56 and Abdul Mannan 46 for Herbrandston, but Flood took control of the reply. He was supported by Jake Wicks and Wayne Griffiths, who each made 34, as Hook reached 204-2.

Taylor Lewis carried his bat for a superb unbeaten 100 in Lawrenny II’s 148-5, but Crymych successfully chased the target. Richard Thorne made 44 and Rhys Davies finished unbeaten on 44 as Crymych reached 150-3.

Narberth II moved to the top of the table with a comprehensive 100-run victory over Llechryd II. Matthew Gow made an unbeaten 60 and Aaron Keane 46 before Mike Reekie took 3-10 in Llechryd’s reply.

Alan Webster struck 86 and Scott John 60 as Neyland II posted 226-6. Haverfordwest III replied with 160-4, Brandon Dewstowe making 46, as Neyland won by 66 runs.

St Ishmaels II edged a high-scoring contest against Carew III. Maddox Bradshaw made 46, Ieuan Hawkins 43 and Ollie Rees 32 in Tish’s 210-6 before Charlie Welch claimed 4-36 to help secure a 14-run win.

Division Four results

Home team	Score	Away team	Score	Result
Hook II	204-2	Herbrandston II	203-6	Hook II won by eight wickets
Crymych	150-3	Lawrenny II	148-5	Crymych won by seven wickets
Narberth II	185-6	Llechryd II	85 all out	Narberth II won by 100 runs
Haverfordwest III	160-4	Neyland II	226-6	Neyland II won by 66 runs
Carew III	196-8	St Ishmaels II	210-6	St Ishmaels II won by 14 runs

Division Four table

Pos	Team	P	W	L	Ab	T	Points	Pen
1	Narberth II	13	9	3	1	0	189	0
2	Lawrenny II	12	8	3	1	0	182	20
3	Hook II	13	8	3	2	0	176	0
4	St Ishmaels II	13	7	5	1	0	166	0
5	Neyland II	13	7	5	1	0	165	0
6	Crymych	13	5	6	2	0	145	0
7	Herbrandston II	13	5	7	1	0	144	0
8	Haverfordwest III	13	4	7	2	0	122	0
9	Llechryd II	13	2	10	1	0	117	0
10	Carew III	12	2	8	2	0	86	0

Division Five

Rowlands smashes 126 as Cresselly III march on

Tom Rowlands struck a commanding 126 as Division Five leaders Cresselly III posted 260-8 against Pembroke Dock II.

Cody James made 39 and Ollie Toy added 32 before taking 3-12 with the ball. Pembroke Dock were held to 126-9, giving Cresselly a crushing 134-run victory.

Callum Jenkins produced the division’s outstanding all-round display as Llangwm II narrowly defeated Llechryd III.

Jenkins scored 28 before claiming remarkable figures of 7-20 as Llechryd were bowled out for 106. Jordan Harrison made 64, but Llangwm edged home at 107-7.

Whitland II defeated Llanrhian II by nine wickets after restricting the home side to 113-6. Ashley Jones made an unbeaten 50 and Steff Lee finished on 33 not out as Whitland reached 114-1.

Pembroke III also won by nine wickets. Hassan Aziz took 3-30 as Hundleton II made 120-7 before Murahari Ethirajalu struck an unbeaten 55 and Harry Penniket finished on 35 not out.

Division Five results

Home team	Score	Away team	Score	Result
Hundleton II	120-7	Pembroke III	124-1	Pembroke III won by nine wickets
Llangwm II	107-7	Llechryd III	106 all out	Llangwm II won by three wickets
Llanrhian II	113-6	Whitland II	114-1	Whitland II won by nine wickets
Pembroke Dock II	126-9	Cresselly III	260-8	Cresselly III won by 134 runs

Division Five table

Pos	Team	P	W	L	Ab	T	Points	Pen
1	Cresselly III	12	10	1	1	0	212	0
2	Whitland II	13	8	4	1	0	184	0
3	Llangwm II	11	6	4	1	0	169	20
4	Llanrhian II	11	7	3	1	0	149	0
5	Pembroke III	12	5	4	3	0	120	0
6	Llechryd III	11	1	8	2	0	96	20
7	Pembroke Dock II	12	1	8	3	0	87	0
8	Hundleton II	10	1	7	2	0	51	0

Division Six

Trivett’s magnificent 159 leads Laugharne II charge

Steve Trivett produced the highest individual score of Week 13, striking an unbeaten 159 as Laugharne II amassed 283-6 against the Haverfordwest/Cresselly combined side.

David Cleverley retired after making 70, Iwan Williams scored 50 and Harrison Perridge added 40 in a spirited reply of 215-4, but Laugharne completed a 68-run victory.

Nathan Sutton and Lewis Hallett powered Neyland III to 249-3. Sutton finished unbeaten on 114 and Hallett made an unbeaten 83.

Sadikur Ali then returned devastating figures of 7-24 as Haverfordwest IV were dismissed for 97, handing Neyland a 152-run victory.

Kilgetty II defeated Whitland III by 93 runs. Euan Gottwaltz made 59 and Craig Ewen 42 in Kilgetty’s 181-6 before Robert Beynon took 3-7 and Theo Scourfield 3-29 to dismiss Whitland for 88.

Lamphey II had the divisional bye and remain five points clear at the top, despite having played two fewer matches than Whitland III.

Division Six results

Home team	Score	Away team	Score	Result
Haverfordwest/Cresselly	215-4	Laugharne II	283-6	Laugharne II won by 68 runs
Kilgetty II	181-6	Whitland III	88 all out	Kilgetty II won by 93 runs
Neyland III	249-3	Haverfordwest IV	97 all out	Neyland III won by 152 runs
Lamphey II	Bye			No match

Division Six table

Pos	Team	P	W	L	Ab	T	Points
1	Lamphey II	10	7	2	1	0	147
2	Whitland III	12	6	5	1	0	142
3	Neyland III	11	5	4	2	0	129
4	Haverfordwest IV	11	6	3	2	0	127
5	Haverfordwest/Cresselly	10	2	7	1	0	97
6	Kilgetty II	12	3	6	3	0	91
7	Laugharne II	10	3	5	2	0	86

Steve Tandy’s young side suffer a sobering Nations Championship defeat as South Africa run in seven unanswered tries

WALES endured a chastening afternoon in Durban as world champions South Africa ran in seven tries during a comprehensive 43-0 Nations Championship victory.

The Springboks led 19-0 at half-time at Kings Park before adding four further tries after the interval, leaving Wales scoreless for the second successive meeting between the countries.

South Africa also defeated Wales 73-0 in Cardiff last November, meaning the Springboks have now scored 116 unanswered points against the Welsh side across the two Tests.

Saturday’s result brought a difficult end to Wales’ opening run of Nations Championship fixtures.

Steve Tandy’s side began the competition with an encouraging 39-24 bonus-point victory over Fiji at Cardiff City Stadium, before losing 35-21 against Argentina in San Juan.

However, facing the world’s top-ranked team in Durban proved a significantly greater challenge.

Early Springbok pressure

South Africa took control almost immediately, using their power at the scrum and their strength in contact to force Wales onto the defensive.

Number eight Jasper Wiese crossed inside the opening five minutes after the home side broke through several attempted tackles.

Scrum-half Cobus Reinach then added South Africa’s second following another dominant scrum, with debutant fly-half Vusi Moyo converting both scores.

Wales spent much of the first half defending inside their own territory.

The Springboks were not always accurate in wet and greasy conditions, with a number of handling mistakes preventing them from turning their territorial dominance into an even larger score.

Wales showed determination in defence and managed to frustrate the hosts for long periods, but South Africa struck again with the final play of the half.

A cross-field kick created confusion in the Welsh defence before Jesse Kriel gathered the loose ball and crossed, giving the Springboks a 19-0 advantage at the break.

Fourth try arrives immediately

Any hope that Wales might work their way back into the contest disappeared within seconds of the restart.

Jaco Williams collected a loose Welsh kick and raced over for a try on his international debut, securing South Africa’s bonus point.

Wales then enjoyed their best spell of the match and briefly threatened the Springbok line.

Ellis Mee went close as the visitors applied pressure inside the South African 22, but Wales were unable to turn the opportunity into points.

That failure proved costly.

Williams later broke down the touchline before finding replacement scrum-half Herschel Jantjies in support for South Africa’s fifth try.

Wales’ task became even harder when replacement prop Ben Warren was shown a yellow card following a television match official review of a high tackle on Marco van Staden.

South Africa took advantage of the extra man, with Kurt-Lee Arendse adding another try before Paul de Villiers completed the scoring with his first at Test level.

Painful lesson for young Wales side

South Africa had made several changes to their team and handed debuts to four players, but the depth and physical strength available to head coach Rassie Erasmus remained clear.

The Springboks were far from flawless and wasted several opportunities, but they remained in control throughout.

Wales worked hard defensively and continued competing despite the mounting score, but struggled at the scrum and failed to show sufficient accuracy when rare attacking opportunities arrived.

Head coach Steve Tandy admitted the scoreline was deeply disappointing but said the experience demonstrated the standards Wales must reach to compete with the world’s best teams.

He said the young players had continued fighting for the jersey, but acknowledged that Wales had not been accurate or clinical enough when chances arose.

Tandy said: “It shows at this level how far we’ve got to go.”

Captain Dewi Lake also defended the effort shown by his teammates, arguing that the performance represented an improvement on the record defeat against the Springboks in Cardiff last year.

He said there had been clear growth within the squad, but accepted that Wales had failed to maintain the necessary physicality and discipline over the full 80 minutes.

Gap remains painfully clear

There were moments of defensive resilience, but the result offered another stark demonstration of the distance separating Wales from the leading nations in world rugby.

The Welsh rebuilding process remains centred around a relatively young squad, but patience will be tested when performances end with such one-sided scorelines.

Wales return to Nations Championship action in November, when they will play three successive matches at the Principality Stadium before the tournament’s finals weekend.

For Tandy and his coaching staff, the challenge will be ensuring the painful lessons from Durban produce tangible progress before the autumn programme begins.

South Africa, meanwhile, completed the opening section of the competition with three victories from three and extended their winning run to 11 consecutive Tests.

South Africa: 43

Tries: Jasper Wiese, Cobus Reinach, Jesse Kriel, Jaco Williams, Herschel Jantjies, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Paul de Villiers.

Wales: 0

Half-time: South Africa 19-0 Wales.