The England rugby team should remember they are ambassadors for the country and the game

sir – My father captained Ireland, and later managed a British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa.

When we, his children, were growing up he taught us that we had to learn to play a game, and to be magnanimous in victory and gracious in defeat. To him, that was both sportsmanship and a lesson in life.

There were many teams playing in this World Cup who would have been honoured and delighted to reach the final. To see England remove the medals made for and presented to the runners-up was, to me, symptomatic of the rudeness and bad manners currently endemic in Britain.

The English team apparently failed to realise they are ambassadors for both their country and the game of rugby. I was appalled by their lack of manners and sportsmanship in front of Japan, which is known as one of the world’s politest nations.

I regret to write that the better side won in every way. Heather White

Tandragee, County Armagh

sir – England were magnificent against New Zealand in the semis, but they were clearly outclassed by South Africa, the eventual winners.

The really disappointing aspect of the game was England’s churlish refusal to wear their runners-up medals. It disrespected both the winners and the tournament, and I hope it will never be repeated. John Ley-morgan

Weston-super-mare, Somerset

sir – A fitting final and result. So much good will be able to now flow in South Africa from this victory. President Cyril Ramaphosa and his government have been given a huge opportunity.

As the late Nelson Mandela wrote: “There is no passion to be found in playing small, in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.’’

The England team should try to remember that in defeat there is also much to celebrate and build on. James Bishop

Wincanton, Somerset sir – The best part for me was to see the young Japanese mascots singing the national anthem of the team they were standing with. It was a wonderful touch. Jack Marriott

Churt, Surrey

sir – For England rugby fans, getting tickets to Saturday’s World Cup Final was virtually impossible.

Many people think tickets are hard to get because armies of bots buy them up to sell on secondary platforms such as Viagogo for ridiculous prices. This is a myth. The reality is that half or more of the tickets for the final are set aside as corporate seats, which squeezes demand even more.

Rugby Union’s ticket-buying system does not account for the fact that plans change, your team doesn’t always win, and fans need to sell unwanted tickets on. Primary sellers warn against using secondary ticket marketplaces. What they are saying is that once you – as a fan – purchase a ticket, you are not its owner, nor can do what you like with it. That is both anticompetitive and restrictive.

There were disappointed All Blacks fans with unwanted tickets for the final and English fans who were desperate to go, yet were unable to get hold of them. What is wrong with ticket-holders selling unwanted tickets on to help recoup the thousands they spent getting to Japan? What is wrong with giving fans a secure way to connect, backed up by customer service?

A tout outside a venue will not give you a refund if something goes wrong. A secondary ticketing site will. Cris Miller

Managing Director, Viagogo New York, USA

sir – In this age of Brexit chaos and anti-brexit politics, can we request a rematch of the England vs South Africa Rugby World Cup Final, as I am not happy with the result? Richard Harris

Odiham, Hampshire