Squad remain united
Hostile comment about players refusing to wear their silver medals was a swift introduction to the judgmental nature of inquests, where empathy is often missing but recriminations never are.
Itoje was not even going there. “Obviously we’re disappointed, our goal was to win the World Cup,” he said. “I definitely felt we were in the right place. World Cup finals don’t happen too often, and throughout the weekend everyone was really excited for the opportunity that today was. Getting up for a World Cup final is never hard, but we just didn’t do it [perform] today.”
One suspicion is that England peaked against New Zealand and were psychologically sated by that win – or at least unable to retune themselves to a blitzing physical assault by the Springboks, when you could almost smell the panic in Jones’s team. Itoje said: “It’s different. Each game throws different challenges at you. Going into this game we weren’t looking to match last week, we were looking to go one better, that’s been the mantra of our team, our sport, to reach, to get better.”
Countless international teams have been where England were when they were lost in the crowds of Tokyo. The human flow goes on, the game cycle begins again. The winners rejoice, organisers count the takings, coaches study their contracts, the circus is dismantled, the audience disperses. Itoje is already reciting helpful messages to himself: “We’re in a completely different place. The squad is united, we’re all together, we’re much tighter, we’re a close-knit group and I think we’ve enjoyed playing with one another. We’ve enjoyed working with Eddie and the coaches, we’ve enjoyed being in this World Cup, being in Japan.”
There is a lot of “enjoyment” in there for a team beaten 32-12 in a World Cup final. But the alternative – hopelessness – would be far worse. “We’re united, we’re sticking together, we’re talking with each other, trying to console each other,” Itoje said, bringing to mind the immortal Samuel Beckett line: “You must go on. I can’t go on. I’ll go on.”
Self-abasement is pointless, though, England will need to work out why this keeps happening.