England captain Phil Vickery said he was 'extremely proud of all the players' after the squad returned home from the World Cup.
Captain proud of World Cup campaign
England captain Phil Vickery reflected with pride after his side returned home from the World Cup.
Vickery's men lost 15-6 to South Africa in Saturday's final, a fine achievement for a squad that had been written off following a 36-0 defeat to the same opponents during the Pool stage.
England knocked out Australia in the quarter-finals and hosts France in the semi-finals before coming up just short against the Springboks.
"I'm extremely proud of all the players, I can't fault any of them," Vickery told a press conference televised by
Sky Sports News.
"Everyone dug in. We managed to get to the final but unfortunately we couldn't bring the cup home. It makes me feel very proud.
"I think there is a lot of young talented players in England."
Life goes on
Vickery refused to criticise the decision of television match official Stuart Dickinson to deny England winger Mark Cueto a try at a crucial juncture of the final.
Cueto looked to have swooped over in the left corner, but on-field referee Alain Rolland referred the decision upstairs, where it was ruled that his foot was in touch before the ball had been grounded.
"The decision was given as no try and we've all accepted that - life goes on and you have to move on," added Vickery.
"If you live life by every decision that goes against you you'd be a very sad individual.
"It's all over and finished now and will never happen again. It's good to be back home today.
"I'm looking forward to going home and seeing my family but my focus is to get myself ready for Wasps."
