[england] beware the lion’s heart

Captain Phil Vickery: "I can't fault anyone - the players, the supporters. We've had a magical time here. Fair play to South Africa. They were the better team and this is their victory."

Flanker Martin Corry: "We can't fault the effort and the heart that the team showed. The format didn't go to plan and it is so disappointing that we lost."

Winger Mark Cueto: "Everyone wrote us off at the start of the competition. We came out of the pool stage and put some massive performances in and showed what our group is all about."

Sold down the drain in Lisbon by it’s supposed leader and due to be chopped up into regions, besieged on all sides by the world, having now suffered a very public but by no means humiliating loss, anyone who now writes England off doesn’t know his history.