Hartlepool United caretaker manager Antony Sweeney reveals England Rugby World Cup inspiration in build-up to Barnet win

As Pools prepared for their match at home to Barnet in the afternoon, England secured their place in the Rugby World Cup final with a historic 19-7 victory over two-time defending champions New Zealand.

The formidable performance was witnessed by most of the Hartlepool players building up to their match, with caretaker manager Antony Sweeney demanding the same characteristics to be shown on the field come 3pm.

“It’s about running about brick walls for the cause,” said the 36-year-old.

“I think something that helped us and inspired us was the England rugby performance in the morning.

“I know very little about rugby but I know when a team is united and together to show a real determination.

“Most of the lads watched the match and I said if you could take anything out of that rugby game then it’s that if you’re together and willing to fight and sacrifice for each other then that can go a long, long way to winning games and big games.

“It might sound daft but the fans are quite easily satisfied at times. They want to see commitment, entertainment and players trying to do the right things.

“When they see that, they go with us and get behind us. Yes, we’re going to have little moans and groans when things don’t go so well but they’re a lot louder when they don’t see the team performing to the capabilities that they believe we have.”