Rugby World Cup final: England have been beaten up - Paul Grayson - BBC Sport
South Africa were "tactically brilliant" against England, according to former England international and BBC Radio 5 Live pundit Paul Grayson.
Last updated on .From the section Rugby Union

England were "beaten up" in their 32-12 World Cup final defeat by South Africa, says former England fly-half Paul Grayson.

The Springboks dominated the showpiece event in Yokohama as Makazole Mapimpi and Cheslin Kolbe scored the tries.

"From an England point of view, everything that could go wrong has gone wrong," said Grayson.

"Bus late to the ground, [Kyle] Sinckler forced off after two minutes, every cute play has gone wrong."
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Siya Kolisi, the Springboks' first black captain, lifted the William Webb Ellis Trophy and Grayson said the flanker's side were "tactically brilliant".

"We said there was potentially a South Africa storm coming, and could England deal with the physicality of the Springboks at fever pitch? The answer is no," Grayson, who was part of England's World Cup-winning squad in 2003, said on BBC Radio 5 live.

"With the support of the country and what was at stake, South Africa had the emotional energy that England simply could not cope with.

"England gave them too many gifts, and South Africa played quick when they needed to. They have been brutally physical in the scrum and their defence has never been tested.

"They were not able to generate the quick ball they did against New Zealand."

'One of the greatest World Cup final victories'

Grayson's comments were echoed by former England scrum-half Matt Dawson, who said his countrymen had been "done and dusted in the classroom".

"This is one of, if not the, greatest victory in a World Cup final," said Dawson, England's 2003 World Cup winning scrum-half.

"England gave it everything, but even if you'd said to me that was how South Africa were going to play, I would not honestly have thought they could survive that for 80 minutes, playing in that manner.

"They've just stuffed England with everything going against them. England were taken apart in many, many areas today.

"They looked, for the first time in long time, rattled from very early on when they tried to break the line. They made too many errors and they have been bereft of ideas."
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