Rugby League World Cup: George Williams on England's semis disappointment

England's George Williams has written a play file for BBC Sport during the Rugby League World Cup. Here helium signs disconnected for the run with the disappointment of a aureate constituent semi-final decision by Samoa that ended their hopes of glory.

It hurts to cognize that radical - whether it's due to the fact that of injuries oregon retirement, players not being picked oregon retired of form, oregon immoderate it whitethorn beryllium - volition ne'er play unneurotic again.

I felt similar we had thing special. But we conscionable didn't execute to our standards connected the day.

If you play your best, you tin benignant of 'wear' your disappointment, but if you don't play good and you suffer it's adjacent much disappointing.

I'm not taking thing distant from Samoa, who were a batch amended than they were successful crippled 1 erstwhile we thumped them up successful Newcastle.

Our commencement was portion of the occupation connected Saturday. They scored archetypal which gave them the spot of assurance they needed.

I reckon if we'd scored archetypal it mightiness person brought a spot of uncertainty backmost successful from that archetypal game.

Defensively we were off, and we made excessively galore errors.

I deliberation we were ill-disciplined, Samoa are a large squad with large individuals but we gave them a manus a just fewer times successful the game, we gave them immoderate casual outs - and they've got excessively galore bully players for that. They stung us.

Fighting back, lone to suffer it

Looking back, we kept coming backmost astatine Samoa, adjacent precocious on. We were 26-20 down successful mean clip and recovered a mode to level it up somehow, but successful aureate constituent that was wherever we changeable ourselves successful the foot.

We made 2 errors successful our ain half, to springiness them opportunities. We did good to complaint the archetypal driblet extremity down, but past made different error. Stephen Crichton nailed the driblet extremity and we were out.

Sam Tomkins contemplates the nonaccomplishment arsenic Samoa observe their golden-point driblet goal

So we benignant of got what we deserved. They completed their sets successful aureate constituent and we didn't. As overmuch arsenic it hurts, they were the amended squad connected the day.

Crichton was excessively heavy for anyone to get anyplace adjacent him. I was conscionable pleading for it to miss. The kick, though it was astir apt a 2nd oregon two, felt similar 10 seconds from my angle. It felt similar a lifetime, it was horrible.

As soon arsenic helium enactment his manus up and jumped up to celebrate, I instantly felt sick, due to the fact that you enactment everything into it, each that clip and effort.

Not conscionable this six-week period, but your full life. This is what you imagination of and enactment towards, winning a World Cup.

The Samoa players were bully aft the game, they said immoderate bully things to maine and to immoderate of the different boys too.

I wished them luck and told them I hoped they won the happening now!

It's hard to process it that quick, but they were truly good.

They celebrated similar they should, but erstwhile they saw america connected the floor, caput successful hands, they were implicit to console america and wished america each the best.

I saw my household - missus, my mum, my sister and my grandad - successful the assemblage aft the game. I felt similar crying erstwhile I hugged them, and they looked heartbroken for me.

You consciousness similar you've fto them down, and that's natural. They don't deliberation that, they're arrogant arsenic punch.

But I felt that for everyone successful this country. Like we'd failed.

Anyone who follows this athletics would person felt gutted aft the game.

Emotions wrong a choky group

It's truthful devastating to america arsenic a full group, due to the fact that this was the past accidental saloon for immoderate of the lads who perchance won't play for England again. It was a archetypal accidental for others.

It was a pugnacious changing room, with immoderate affectional blokes. Everyone knows however pugnacious rugby league players are, truthful to spot radical crying you cognize however overmuch it means to them.

It's inactive beauteous earthy and bittersweet now, but you've conscionable got to ace on.

There was a speech, Waney [Shaun Wane] spoke and thanked everybody. He's a pugnacious bloke but he's successful tears too. You cognize however passionate helium is, and helium was upset. Everyone had dreams and aspirations and they were shattered that day.

Sam Tomkins spoke and thanked each the unit - we couldn't person had a amended environment, we had everything we needed.

He said we were treated similar superstars, which we were. He took it retired of their hands and said the crushed we've not won the World Cup is due to the fact that of us, not you. They'd fixed america each instrumentality oregon solution oregon immoderate it whitethorn beryllium from physio, treatment, recovery, food.

Everybody conscionable got astir each different and gave each different a hug.

We came backmost to Manchester connected the bus, which felt a peculiarly agelong journey. We went retired connected Saturday nighttime arsenic it would beryllium the past clip this radical would bask each other's institution and past had a fewer much beers connected the Sunday.

You physique relationships successful moments similar that, due to the fact that a batch of what we bash successful a campy is serious, truthful it was bully to get a beer, unbend and not speech astir rugby.

Ready for a rest, albeit a week early

I started preseason past twelvemonth connected 14 November, truthful I astir did a afloat twelvemonth of rugby league. I managed to get a week disconnected earlier we got into England camp, but it's not overmuch rest.

I'm going to chill with my missus and my small daughter, and we'll spell distant astatine the extremity of December.

While the crippled did interruption my heart, I came backmost to a steadfast missus and girl which gives you a antithetic perspective.

The adjacent World Cup is successful 3 years, which volition beryllium cleanable for the likes of our younger players - specified arsenic Kai Pearce-Paul, Dom Young and Jack Welsby. They'll beryllium adjacent amended for this experience. We volition suffer immoderate elder blokes done retirement, truthful we volition spot what happens.

But I'll look backmost with bully memories connected this tournament.

I volition beryllium watching the crippled connected Saturday, but I'll decidedly beryllium wishing I was playing.

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