Monday 4 November 2019 17:34, UK
Maro Itoje was left to reflect on what he described as one of the most painful experiences of his life following England's World Cup final defeat to South Africa.
The Saracens forward has been one of England's star players throughout the tournament in Japan, playing a huge role in them reaching the final.
But, ultimately, the match against South Africa proved a game too far for Eddie Jones' men as they went down 32-12 and Itoje was left bitterly disappointed by the result.
"It's quite hard to put into words, to be honest," Itoje said. "It's definitely one of the most painful experiences I've had as a rugby player - and in my life.
"It's definitely been tough, but we'll try to be positive from the game.
"It's tough. Our goal was to win the World Cup, we gave ourselves an opportunity to do that, but unfortunately we fell short."
England found themselves repelled time and time again by South Africa's defence in Yokohama, while the Springboks managed to assert their dominance at the scrum as well.
It added to a frustrating day for Itoje, who took his runners-up medal off straight after receiving it in the post-match ceremony, and his team-mates.
"We didn't really get into the game," Itoje said. "We didn't play the way we wanted to play, our scrum was a big frustration as well, but we'll move forward."
