Itoje recalls his ‘most painful day’ but

Locals barely noticed them as the brutal anonymity of losing a World Cup final closed in on a side who had dethroned the All Blacks a week earlier.

“Sport’s cruel sometimes,” Maro Itoje said after a 32-12 defeat made more emphatic by two sparkling Springbok tries.

In the separation of winners and losers, modern sport dumps a cargo of overstatement. South Africa – unifiers of a troubled nation, saviours of black athletes from hunger. England – broken men who failed to show and will live with the consequences for the rest of their lives.

“Losing this game is definitely one of the most painful experiences I’ve had, in life, not only in my rugby career,” Itoje said.

You had better hope these England players “stick together”, as Itoje promised they will. Some will face a reckoning. Ben Youngs and Elliot Daly, for example, may not be the scrum-half and full-back next time we see England in action. Vulnerabilities that can be hidden in a Six Nations game, say, come back to bite you when the pressure becomes unsustainable.

For the most part though “a few beers” and a poignant traipse around Tokyo was, for these England players, the start of the next phase. Games in Gloucester, Exeter and Worcester await. The Six Nations will amble round soon enough. Once the misery of Yokohama has lifted each will find the mortification of losing a World Cup final something that can be rationalised and partly escaped from if good times lie ahead.

“We’re talking, but it’s not exactly a disco in there,” Itoje said as he emerged from the England dressing room on Saturday night. He, more than any England player, has cause to reflect on how fast the locomotive can leave the rails. Itoje was player of the match against New Zealand with three turnovers and seven line-outs won. He radiated world-class quality. Itoje the rugby superstar had arrived.

In all respects he has been outstanding at this World Cup, and, at 25, will see another chance, assuming his body holds out. But “November 2, Yokohama,” to borrow Eddie Jones’s mantra, was not kind to him. It was Itoje’s body Kyle Sinckler crashed into in the third minute, knocking the England prop out cold. From there even Itoje’s physical authority was broken by the ferocity of South Africa’s play.

When it was over he fell back on common sense, refusing to obey the catastrophe narrative, even though England deserved the criticism that came their way. “I think we’ve been on a good journey, from where we started to where we are now, the team has grown tighter and tighter,” he said. “I said previously, this is the most fun I’ve had in an England side, so we’re trying to draw the positives out of it. Obviously, we’re very gutted that we couldn’t get the job done. This meant a lot to a lot of people, but we’ll work hard for the next opportunity.”