Ouch!

It is difficult to know quite what – if anything – to write on the subject of England’s performance against South Africa in last Saturday’s final of the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

The first thing to do though – obviously – is to congratulate South Africa on their comprehensive win – an achievement that looked no more than an outside possibility in the earlier stages of the competition, particularly when the All Blacks comprehensively out-thought them in their opening encounter.

The fact was, however, that in the final they really wanted the win with a fervour that England couldn’t match. One might point out that the game had still been close with fifteen minutes remaining on the clock and that the two South African tries came in part because the English were chasing the game and that opportunities arose as a result in the way that they tend to do in such circumstances. That would be an injustice, however, given the way that the Springboks had dominated the English in the set-pieces throughout.

It became apparent very quickly that England were not on this occasion going to match the fluent control that marked their splendid and comprehensive win over the All Blacks a week before. The first handling errors came very quickly – always a sign that a side is subject to a degree of pressure that they have not previously encountered. Given the worlds of difference between semi-final and final performances it almost felt for a moment that we were watching the Scots – who are much more prone to such swings in fortune (and accomplishment) from one week to the next.

No – the key thing at this stage is to congratulate the new world champions, but at the same time to laud the English for the way they set about the competition; for their performances – in particular in seeing off the Australians in the quarter-final and the previously all-conquering All Blacks in the semi-final – and for ending up as very worthy runners-up.

Worth noting also that England are in the main a young side and that they are only going to get better.