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Subscribe to RSS FeedVickery hails new champs
Vickery: 'It has been a special time for all'
England captain Phil Vickery lauded the courage of his troops after they relinquished their world crown with a hearty fight, going down 15-6 to South Africa in the World Cup Final at Stade de France in Paris on Saturday night.
Four penalties from Percy Montgomery and one from Francois Steyn trumped a pair from Jonny Wilkinson as the Springboks claimed the Webb Ellis Cup for the second time in their history.
England got closest to a try when Mark Cueto was dragged into touch early in the second half, but the Boks deserved their victory: It was a performance built on cerebral rugby and titanic defence, and it was the cherry on the top of a fantastic campaign.
"I can't fault anyone - the players, the supporters - we've had a magical time here," said Vickery.
"But fair play to South Africa - they were the better team and this is their victory.
"A big thank you to all our supporters. It has been a special time for all.
"It has been a roller-coaster few weeks for us. I have played with some real warriors at this World Cup and there were memories I will always have.
"I am deeply proud of all the players. It has been a real honour to be captain of this side. I am disappointed not to get a victory today but life goes on."
Cueto's near miss was referred to the video referee, but Vickery refused to dwell on the ifs and buts.
"The game swung on crucial decisions at crucial times, not just from the players but from officials as well," he said.
"You get decisions like that in a game. Sometimes you get them, sometimes you don't. I'm not going to stand here and blame the referee. South Africa deserved their win.
"We probably just didn't quite have enough on the night.
"South Africa performed better under the high-pressure situations.
"I said to [South Africa] John Smit on the field afterwards, 'It was thoroughly deserved, well done' - and they did."
Despite his advancing years, Vickery would not be drawn on his international future.
"You knows at the moment, I am contracted to London Wasps for this season and looking forward to getting stuck in with the boys.
"Right now I am just keen to get back home, see my daughter, give her a big cuddle, chill out for a few days and then look forward to getting back on the paddock for Wasps," he said.
"I love what I do. Rugby has been a good friend to me.
"I don't want to sit here and start thinking about what the future holds. There will be some serious thought in the next few months."
As for Cueto, he believe he had scored, and was bitterly dissapointed that the verdict didn't go his way.
"Taity [Mathew Tait] passed to me and I got in and I got the instinct that I was in," he said.
"You know when you're in or not. Looking at the replay I still think it was a try.
"From the front you could see the ground and it was fine. From the back it was the foot. I never doubted the decision would be a try. I was amazed when he didn't award it. We were five points behind and if Wilko had kicked it we would have been one point up.
"I think it made a massive difference. It was very tight and changed things. Instead of chasing the game in the final minutes we could have been ahead and kicked for position in their half.
"They came back and kicked a penalty and instead of being one point behind or one point ahead we were behind by nine points."
Bit one of England's big plus points on the night was the performance of Tait.
The young Newcastle centre showed a maturity beyond his 21 years and cut South Africa's immaculate defence in two in the build-up to the Cueto incident.
The experience of the World Cup will stand him in good stead for the future, and he acknowledged that the future lay in the hands of England's younger crop of stars.
"We're devastated at the moment," he said.
"The missed opportunity in the Final hurts, but from a personal point of view, I'm just delighted to be part of it.
"We've had a tough three weeks and we have pulled together. It's just disappointing that we couldn't quite finish it off.
"Sport is about winning and we haven't got the ultimate prize. It's up to me and the younger guys in the future."
"Myself, Toby [Flood] and the other young guys must now work our arses off over the next four years to make sure it doesn't happen again.
"But overall, South Africa deserved this. Throughout the tournament they have been the better side. We thought we could do it, but we didn't, so we've got to take it on the chin. Certainly we came into the game thinking we could win it."
