Northern Edition

Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

'The Springboks straightened us' - Maro Itoje's take on England's loss

Maro Itoje embraces Tom Curry after England's loss in Yokohama (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Maro Itoje has blamed England giving away too many penalties for their World Cup final defeat to South Africa. Beaten 32-12 on the scoreboard, England conceded ten penalties to South Africa’s eight during the loss in Yokohama. 

ADVERTISEMENT

Five of those indiscretions came at the scrum and Springbok kicker Handre Pollard made England pay off the tee, as he landed six kicks over the course of the 80 minutes. “Probably need a bit more time to process everything, to be honest,” reflected Itoje when asked his thoughts on the result. “The thing that stuck out obviously was we gave away too many penalties.

We didn’t get our game going today, unfortunately, unlike the previous game (against New Zealand). We didn’t come out of the blocks firing like we planned to.”

It was Itoje’s accidental collision that knocked out Kyle Sinckler in the third minute, forcing England into the change that saw Dan Cole come on and struggle at the scrum.

“He [Sinckler] is a big player for us and he’s had some really big performances for us. I’m not too sure what it was. We just didn’t start with the tenacity we planned on starting with. At this point, it’s hard to put a finger on what exactly that is. Sport is cruel sometimes.

(Continue reading below…)

“We’ve been on a good journey. From where we started to where we are now, the team’s grown tighter and tighter. This is the most fun I’ve had in an England side. We’re trying to draw the positives out of the journey.

ADVERTISEMENT

“Very disappointed, gutted we couldn’t get the job done today. It’s meant a lot to a lot of people.  We can work hard for the next opportunity.

“Congratulations to the Springboks. They straightened us. They didn’t allow us to get our game going. We definitely did try hard but we weren’t getting the outcomes we were looking to get.

“I definitely felt we were in the right place. World Cup finals don’t happen too often. Throughout the whole weekend, we were pumped. Everyone was really excited for the opportunity.

“Each game throws up different challenges. Coming into this game we weren’t looking to match last week. We were looking to get better. That’s been the mantra of our team, the mantra of our squad.”

ADVERTISEMENT

WATCH: RugbyPass catches up with some rowdy fans after South Africa lift the World Cup trophy

ADVERTISEMENT

Boks Office | Episode 37 | Six Nations Round 4 Review

Cape Town | Leg 2 | Day 2 | HSBC Challenger Series 2025 | Full Day Replay

Gloucester-Hartpury vs Bristol Bears | PWR 2024/25 | Full Match Replay

Boks Office | Episode 36 | Six Nations Round 3 Review

Why did Scotland's Finn Russell take the crucial kick from the wrong place? | Whistle Watch

England A vs Ireland A | Full Match Replay

Kubota Spears vs Shizuoka BlueRevs | JRLO 2024/2025 | Full Match Replay

Watch now: Lomu - The Lost Tapes

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

0 Comments
Be the first to comment...

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

s
spencer werner 2 hours ago
Mixed Wales update on availability of Josh Adams, Gareth Anscombe

As an artist, I’ve always been focused on my creative pursuits and never really ventured into the world of high-risk financial investments. But, like many others, I was drawn to the idea of making money quickly through Forex trading. Unfortunately, I fell victim to a Forex scam and lost a large portion of my savings. The financial loss was devastating, but the emotional toll was even worse. I felt betrayed, and hopeless, and wasn’t sure where to turn next. One day, while browsing through Red Note, a platform where people connect over shared experiences, I came across a post from someone who had gone through a similar situation. They shared how they managed to recover their lost funds through a company called Tech Cyber Force Recovery. Desperate for a solution, I decided to reach out to them and explain what had happened to me. I was initially skeptical, unsure whether this was just another scam or if it could be the real deal. To my surprise, the team at Tech Cyber Force Recovery was professional, compassionate, and genuinely interested in helping. They listened carefully to my story and assured me that they had the expertise and resources to help recover my lost funds. The process would take time, they said, and I’d need to provide some documentation, but they were confident that they could help. After several conversations and a thorough investigation, they started working on my case. The results were incredible. Within a relatively short period, Tech Cyber Force Recovery managed to recover nearly all of the funds I had lost. It wasn’t an easy process, and it required patience, but the team’s dedication, attention to detail, and methodical approach paid off. I felt an overwhelming sense of relief and gratitude. What had once seemed like a permanent loss was now being reversed, thanks to the help of Tech Cyber Force Recovery. Not only did the recovery restore my financial situation, but it also restored my sense of trust and confidence. I had almost given up hope, but now, with my funds recovered, I feel like I can move forward. I’ve learned valuable lessons from this experience, and I’m more cautious about my financial decisions in the future. What began as a desperate search on Red Note turned into a life-changing recovery. Thanks to Tech Cyber Force Recovery, I now feel more hopeful about my financial future, with the knowledge that recovery is possible.telegram (@)techcyberforc  texts (+1 5.6.1.7.2.6.3.6.9.7)

4 Go to comments
s
spencer werner 2 hours ago
Sam Prendergast leading race for Lions 10 jersey claims recent tour captain

As an artist, I’ve always been focused on my creative pursuits and never really ventured into the world of high-risk financial investments. But, like many others, I was drawn to the idea of making money quickly through Forex trading. Unfortunately, I fell victim to a Forex scam and lost a large portion of my savings. The financial loss was devastating, but the emotional toll was even worse. I felt betrayed, and hopeless, and wasn’t sure where to turn next. One day, while browsing through Red Note, a platform where people connect over shared experiences, I came across a post from someone who had gone through a similar situation. They shared how they managed to recover their lost funds through a company called Tech Cyber Force Recovery. Desperate for a solution, I decided to reach out to them and explain what had happened to me. I was initially skeptical, unsure whether this was just another scam or if it could be the real deal. To my surprise, the team at Tech Cyber Force Recovery was professional, compassionate, and genuinely interested in helping. They listened carefully to my story and assured me that they had the expertise and resources to help recover my lost funds. The process would take time, they said, and I’d need to provide some documentation, but they were confident that they could help. After several conversations and a thorough investigation, they started working on my case. The results were incredible. Within a relatively short period, Tech Cyber Force Recovery managed to recover nearly all of the funds I had lost. It wasn’t an easy process, and it required patience, but the team’s dedication, attention to detail, and methodical approach paid off. I felt an overwhelming sense of relief and gratitude. What had once seemed like a permanent loss was now being reversed, thanks to the help of Tech Cyber Force Recovery. Not only did the recovery restore my financial situation, but it also restored my sense of trust and confidence. I had almost given up hope, but now, with my funds recovered, I feel like I can move forward. I’ve learned valuable lessons from this experience, and I’m more cautious about my financial decisions in the future. What began as a desperate search on Red Note turned into a life-changing recovery. Thanks to Tech Cyber Force Recovery, I now feel more hopeful about my financial future, with the knowledge that recovery is possible.telegram (@)techcyberforc  texts (+1 5.6.1.7.2.6.3.6.9.7)

4 Go to comments
TRENDING
TRENDING Player-led change gets thumbs up but jury out on selection: Andy Goode Player-led change gets thumbs up but jury out on selection: Andy Goode
Search