Though the sports are different, there are similarities between the Springboks' 2023 Rugby World Cup-winning campaign and England's recent defence of their European title.

There are two main ways to win a tournament in sports. One is how the Brazilian men's soccer team did it at the 2002 World Cup. They crushed all challengers as they sauntered to overall victory by winning all their games.

The other way is to grind out victories, fighting back when obituaries have already been scribed in relation to the team's campaign. England's senior women's soccer side employed this second strategy on the way to retaining their status as the best in Europe by winning Euro 2025.

The Lionesses defeated reigning world champions Spain 3-1 on penalties to defend the title they first won in 2022, after the match ended in a 1-1 stalemate following 120 minutes of fierce fighting. The English victory was sweet revenge for their failure in the 2023 World Cup final, where their Spanish counterparts downed them 1-0.

Roller coaster campaign

England's tumultuous campaign - which began with 2-1 group-stage defeat to fellow title hopefuls France - was characterised by grit, personality, unity, belief and dogged determination.

Following that loss critics...