England 60-3 Uruguay Rugby World Cup 2015 RESULT: Jack Nowell and Nick Easter score hat-tricks as hosts end campaign
- England beat Uruguay in final Pool A World Cup match in Manchester
- Talented centre Henry Slade scored try in first RWC appearance
- Jack Nowell and Nick Easter ended their RWC campaigns with hat-tricks
- Anthony Watson also on scoresheet with two tries
As far as no-win games go, this was the ultimate. The score line said England won, but hope had long since been lost.
Stuart Lancaster insisted this week the last impression his England players left would be the one they will be remembered for. If only. This game will be forgotten in a heartbeat.
The World Cup party is going on without England and the gristly process of establishing ‘why’ will begin on Monday. One thing is for sure, this World Cup campaign will be remembered as the worst by England ever.
So long and good night
But Frontrow3uk is on the other side of the fence: 'Despite the bitching and whinging by the press and 'fans' alike there are some positives to take home. By the next World Cup England can have a fantastic back three, Henry slade has all the raw ingredients to become a great centre for England, our 2nd is up there with the best of them and we have four years to find and create a completely new back row.'
But Frontrow3uk is on the other side of the fence: 'Despite the bitching and whinging by the press and 'fans' alike there are some positives to take home. By the next World Cup England can have a fantastic back three, Henry slade has all the raw ingredients to become a great centre for England, our 2nd is up there with the best of them and we have four years to find and create a completely new back row.'
It's all over for England
England 60-3 Uruguay (penalty try)
Time for one more?
One for the future?
England 53-3 Uruguay (Nowell, hattrick)
TRY! England 48-3 Uruguay (Nowell)
69 mins: Big men can pass it too!
There isn't much more to say. As England wave goodbye, literally as they do a lap of honour around the stadium, to the World Cup, I'm going to let you do the talking, ending with two very contrasting comments that seem to sum up the mood:
'I can't bring myself to feel remotely upbeat about the game this evening,' says notsurewhatnametouse 'All too little too late. Just draw a line under the WC, get rid if SL and his coaches and start again.'
Well, I see both sides of it -in terms of age and talent, there is no doubt that this is an exciting England team. The problem is, it already has more than enough to make it to a World Cup quarter final. Maybe even a semi. And, when push came to shove, it didn't.
On that fence-sitting note, I leave you. Ireland and France will dominate tomorrow, and then its quarter-final time. I'll see you all then.
Well, what do we think? A very comfortable win against a team of amateurs cannot mask the disappointment of going out of a home World Cup in the Pool Stage.
But, and it is worth stating again, had England just kicked that penalty against Wales, they would be through to face South Africa right now - and as Japan showed, South Africa are very beatable.
Today was never going to be fun, and even 10 tries can't hide that fact. The questions, over Chris Robshaw's captaincy, Stuart Lancaster's management, and the balance of the squad, will begin again tomorrow.
But for now, the World Cup continues, without England.
Another infringement invites Uruguay forward, but England turn over the line-out again, and Joseph runs the ball out from under his own posts.
The centre, again, makes a break, taking England all the way to halfway. Wood breaks through again, offloads to Wigglesworth, and Ford is stopped inches from the line. England knock-on looking to move it right, but only because of a blatant offence, and it's a penalty try to end the game!
Ford kicks his first points of the night, and England have racked up 60 points without playing at all well. See more at Livedailymotion
Can Uruguay finish this on a high? England throw the ball into touch five out from their own line, a real chance for the blue back... but England's line-out defence has been one of the really excellent parts of their game today, and Launchbury prevents the ball coming out.
England have a scrum, from which they're going to run the ball out of defence for a few phases before Wigglesworth, the replacement scrum half, boots it long.
Jack Nowell wasn't very good in the first half, if truth be told, but once this game opened up he has shown his talent for finishing - and you can't turn your nose up at a World Cup hat-trick, can you!
It may seem slightly churlish, with such a lead, but when Stuart Lancaster promised us entertainment, I'm not sure this was what he meant.
England have made mistakes when they've tried to be adventurous, and with the exception of tries one and seven, their scores have been the result of functional forwards play rather than fleet-footed flair.
Another example, as England turn the ball over, lose it again, steal it back, lose it again, get involved in a fight on the floor, and end up with a line-out on halfway.
They get another penalty, and I expect that will mean another rolling maul...
No, it doesn't! They tap and go instead, and it's a pretty special try this time.
Brilliant again from Joseph, beats his man and offloads, Slade puts in Nowell, who completes a hattrick.
It may not be vintage, but the scores keep flowing. After what seems like dozens of phases by forwards close to the line not quite getting there, England float the ball wide to Nowell, who scores his second try.
Ford misses the conversion again, but England are now 45 points ahead.
I'm not sure what it is about Jonathan Joseph, but he just always seems to make metres.
It puts Uruguay on the back foot, before interplay between Jamie George and Mako Vunipola - the front rowers combining like centres - opens up space and Kruis charges through it.
When it goes wide England have numbers, but Brown's pass to Goode is just a fraction forward, so we come back for an earlier knock-on by Uruguay trying to steal the ball at the previous breakdown.
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