Rugby World Cup final: Captain Sarah Hunter says England are 'hurting' after agonising defeat
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New Zealand beat England in dramatic World Cup final
England captain Sarah Hunter says that Rugby World Cup final defeat by New Zealand cannot diminish the impact of the Red Roses on their sport.
Hosts New Zealand upset the tournament favourites 34-31 in a nail-biting final in front of a raucous Eden Park.
"One result doesn't define the squad that we are, the people that we are," said Hunter.
"Hopefully back home we have inspired the next generation and given them something to be proud of."
The defeat, in which England were hampered by an 18th-minute red card for wing Lydia Thompson, ended a run of 30 successive victories.
That streak had made the Red Roses pre-tournament favourites, but New Zealand, who lost heavily in both Tests against England last autumn, were inspired on home soil.
"Sport is cruel, sport doesn't end the way you want it to and unfortunately that was us tonight," added Hunter.
"Credit to New Zealand, they kept coming and found a way. They are deserved champions.
"We can be proud. We will look back and we didn't leave any stone unturned and that is what we wanted to do regardless of the result.
"We left everything on the pitch. It will take time, we are hurting, but we will stay together and get through that hurt together."
'Players gave absolutely everything' - Middleton
England have won two of the nine women's Rugby World Cups staged, the 1994 and 2014 editions
When asked how proud he was of his team, head coach Simon Middleton said: "That's the overwhelming feeling. How proud I am and we are of the players. They gave absolutely everything. Not just tonight but for 50, 51 days.
"They've given nothing but their absolute best every single day."
On the red card, he added: "It didn't help. It's tough having 14 players for that long. We put them under a lot of pressure, they put us under a lot of pressure."
Watch: England fans react to Rugby World Cup final loss
England had an opportunity from a line-out to snatch victory in the final minutes but could not take it.
"We took it right down to the wire. It could have gone either way at the end. Overall, I'm just so proud of the players. They couldn't have given more.
"Twists happen in a game and you deal with them. It's part of the game and we dealt with it."
Middleton said in the build-up to the tournament anything less than a win would be a disappointment.
"In terms of our goals, it is," he added. "Talk to any of the players and they'll say exactly the same.
"But we won on massive fronts. We wanted to leave these shores a better team than we came. We did 100%. We've lost tonight but won massively over the last 51 days."
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'We have some global superstars coming through'
Wayne Smith became head coach of the Black Ferns in April 2022
New Zealand head coach Wayne Smith, who was an assistant coach for the All Blacks men's World Cup-winning sides in 2011 and 2015, said he had "never been more proud of a team."
"We just wanted to go out and play and be true to our DNA," he added.
"I am not going to stay involved but I will be following these women for the rest of their careers. It is not just the 23 today, we have some global superstars coming through.
"I just think the future's great. I am going to be following them but from a different position."
Black Ferns captain Ruahei Demant praised the home support, saying: "None of us really expected this. To walk out of the tunnel and you can't even think because the crowd is so loud, I never thought we would get that.
"Part of our plan was to inspire the nation and I think we have done that."