FIFTY YEARS OF HURT
Herbie devastated as Wane’s boys blow it
ENGLAND’S Herbie Farnworth summed it up best: “It hurts. It f ****** hurts. Gutted doesn’t come close.”
Just a few weeks into his Test career, it was hoped the Brisbane centre would be part of a new breed of exciting England players who do not have to suffer these ordeals.
But as another chance of World Cup glory disappeared, Farnworth was left like so many others over the past halfcentury – broken, devastated, wrecked.
Stephen Crichton’s 84th-minute golden point extra-time drop goal was the dagger blow as Samoa deservedly stunned the hosts in arguably the most dramatic World Cup semi-final ever.
Mistake-ridden England botched those final few minutes – and too many before – to lose to a side they had thrashed 60-6 four weeks before.
Farnworth’s second try in the 78th minute had brought the desperate hosts back level for the second time, raising hopes everything was back on. How wrong they would be. Farnworth, one of the few England players to emerge in credit, admitted: “We’ve can’t blame anyone but ourselves.
“When I scored, I definitely thought we’d go on to win. But errors again killed us. It just really, really hurts.
“I still can’t really believe we lost. It’s probably the first time (this tournament) we’ve not played well. I don’t know what happened, it just wasn’t us.
“It would have been great to push on to the final and win it. That was the goal. But it’s gone now.”
Coach Shaun Wane had generated genuine belief this side could emulate the victorious 1972 Great Britain squad and finally lift that trophy – but he was left in tears at the enormity of what had just occurred.
Instead, Samoa are the first tier-two side to reach a World Cup final and they richly deserve their shot against Australia at Old Trafford on Saturday.
Embarrassed England, for whom Elliott Whitehead and John Bateman scored tries with Tommy Makinson kicking 10 points, are left facing eternal ‘what ifs’ and pangs of regret.
Scrum-half George Williams did his utmost to pep them up during a chaotic contest but he was right when conceding England got what they deserved. They bombed. Spectacularly.
Williams said: “Watching that kick go over felt like a nightmare. Those 10 seconds went so slow.
“We got to golden point and panicked. We were our own worst enemy. They really played well but we didn’t deliver when it mattered.”
Asked how long it would take for him to get over it, Williams replied: “Until the next World Cup, probably.’’
Ruthless Crichton scored two tries and three goals while Salford centre Tim Lafai also added a brace as Samoa exacted sweet revenge for their group game defeat.
That seems an eternity ago now for sorry England. The wait goes on.