Last night’s Rugby World Cup match against Australia was an important one for England’s national team; they needed a win to keep any hope of continuing in the tournament. Unfortunately, the brutal match saw them lose 33-13 and dashed their World Cup hopes.
Okay, so it’s not the first time that England has been kicked out of a World Cup before the final. What makes this time such an insult? Well, you might have noticed that the Rugby World Cup is being hosted by England (and a bit of Wales, but shh) this year, and, until last night, the home team has never lost in the first round (group stage). Ever.
England seemed determined to maintain their place in the tournament, but they were quickly overrun by Australia’s might. In fact, one Australian player in particular — Fly-Half Bernard Foley — effectively single-handedly ushered England out of the World Cup; 28 of Australia’s 33 points were scored by Foley, racking up two tries, three conversions, and four penalty kicks (with a 100% kick rate).
It will be interesting to see how the English team’s fans cope with such a loss when the next four weeks of the tournament will still be played in their local pitches. Will they shift their allegiance temporarily to another team? Will the pubs be empty on game days? Is it a national day of mourning?
