Another heartbreaker… but Cooper says future is bright
ENGLAND 26 SAMOA 27
IF NOT now, then when? That was the question England’s crestfallen players were left to ponder as they exited the Emirates and their home World Cup on Saturday night.
‘I’ve no doubt England will win a World Cup,’ said prop Mike Cooper. ‘With the team we’ve got, the kids we’ve got, the coaches we’ve got, England will win trophies in the future.’
The same, though, was said in Brisbane five years ago after England lost 6-0 to Australia in the final. And if they cannot do the business in their own backyard, there is no reason to believe it will be any different in France in three years’ time.
Let’s not forget the draw for this World Cup was set up so the hosts would avoid the Aussies or New Zealand until the final. All Shaun Wane’s men had to do to book their place at Old Trafford was see off a Samoa side they had slaughtered 60-6 in the group stage.
But by losing on golden point at the Emirates, England blew a golden chance — and on the 50th anniversary weekend of the last World Cup win from a side from these shores.
‘It really hurts,’ admitted Herbie Farnworth, whose two late tries forced extra time. ‘It would have been great to push on to the final and win it. That was the goal, but it’s gone.’
We will now never know whether this team were good enough to go all the way and emulate Great Britain’s win in 1972. Australia lay in wait and England have not beaten them in 27 years.
But the Kangaroos are not infallible, as Friday night’s epic against the Kiwis showed. And England would have had home advantage in a final for the first time since 1995. Now, though, Wane’s men will be watching on TV after losing in a semi for the fourth time in five attempts.
George Williams, England’s player of the tournament, said: ‘It will hurt watching the final and wishing I was playing. This defeat will sit with us for three years until the next World Cup. The heartbreaking thing is some people will never play a World Cup again. It’s been the best six weeks of our lives but we didn’t get the job done.’
England had not even trailed in a match at this World Cup, but they produced their worst performance in the biggest match of all, with errors everywhere you looked.
Having given themselves a chance through Farnworth’s try with two minutes to go, they twice gifted Samoa possession in golden-point extra time. Jack Welsby spilled one and captain Sam Tomkins was pulled up for a forward pass.
And England were made to pay for the second of those mistakes, as Stephen Crichton won it with a 40-metre drop goal. ‘I’ve never hit one before,’ he admitted, just to rub Samoan salt into English wounds.