Distraught boss Shaun Wane fought back tears as he tried explaining England's agonising World Cup exit.
They suffered a shock 27-26 semi-final loss to Samoa in Golden Point extra-time. Stephen Crichton's drop goal proved the difference after England consistently threw away leading positions and coughed up the ball when it mattered most. England had beaten Samoa 60-6 in the group stages four weeks ago but suffered badly here at a stunned Emirates Stadium. Wane insisted: "It wasn’t good enough.
“They were the better team. All credit to our players. They’ve been outstanding this tournament but we’ve just not done the small details today. It cost us dearly. They had better composure. They were the best team. We were just not good enough today on the biggest stage. We’ve got an honest group of players but we will get in this position again and we will do better.
