OPINION: England went down to a near-perfect South African side in the 2019 Rugby World Cup final, unable to keep up with the Springboks' bruising defence.
After playing their hearts out in a semi-final showdown against the All Blacks a week earlier, the Roses looked a shadow of that side.
Here's how Newshub rated England in the Rugby World Cup final.
1. Mako Vunipola - 2
Beaten up at set-piece and was absent around the park, making just one tackle, and his nine runs yielded only two metres.
Beaten up at set-piece and was absent around the park, making just one tackle, and his nine runs yielded only two metres.
2. Jamie George - 3
Wonky lineout early and was part of an England front row that was mauled at set-piece. Made just two metres with ball in hand.
3. Kyle Sinckler- No rating
Injured early in the match.
4. Maro Itoje - 5
Seemed intimidated by the Boks forwards - not allowed to play, although he was outstanding on defence making 16 tackles.
5. Courtney Lawes - 4
Was a non-factor both on attack and defence - subbed at the half.
6. Tom Curry - 7
Was probably the pick of the English - earned a couple of turnovers but not as prominent as last week.
7. Sam Underhill - 7
Surprisingly subbed with 20 minutes to go, despite playing well. Made the most metres per carry for any English forward and was strong on defence.
8. Billy Vunipola - 4
Had the most metres gained of any English forward but was ineffective with just 17 metres from 19 carries. Outplayed by Duane Vermeulen, who was an absolute beast.
9. Ben Youngs - 5
didn't do much wrong - his box kicking was excellent but he was rattled by the rush defence.
10. George Ford - 3
Labelled the best No.10 in world rugby after last weekend, but played the final like it was the first game of his life. Mercifully subbed by Eddie Jones early in the second half, Ford will want to put this game behind him. A non-factor.
11. Jonny May - 7
Was the best of the English backs. May was solid under the highball and looked dangerous with ball-in-hand, but was out of position when Kolbe scored late in the game.
12. Owen Farrell - 4
Cast a frustrated figure throughout the 80 minutes and wasn't able to change momentum. Missed a crucial kick midway through the half that would have got his side back within three. The pressure of the final turned Farrell into a bit of a powder puff.
13. Manu Tuilagi - 5
Was he even on the park? He kept de Allende relatively quiet but the Boks' rush defence kept him out of the game with ball-in-hand.
14. Anthony Watson - 5
Solid with ball-in-hand and very good under the high ball alongside his fellow outside backs.
15. Elliot Daly - 5
Another England back who crumbled under the pressure of a final. Daly couldn't get involved and aside from some good positioning on defence, he barely featured.
Reserves:
16. Luke Cowan-Dickie - 5
Scrum and lineout improved when he came on.
17. Joe Marler - 6
Was very good at set-piece when he came on and decent around the park.
18. Dan Cole - 3
Had to play 76 minutes and was a non-factor. Was mauled at scrum.
19. George Kruis - 5
Played 40 minutes but didn't feature much.
20. Mark Wilson - 4
Gave away a couple of penalties and missed two tackles.
21. Ben Spencer - No rating
Henry Slade - 3
Guilty of coughing up possession that led to a Springboks try and looked overawed by the occasion.
23. Jonathan Joseph - No rating
Brad Lewis is a Newshub online sports producer.
