Never in the history of the World Cup — of which, of course, they are still the holders — have England been humiliated to the degree that they were by South Africa at the Stade de France here last night. Not a point, not a shot at goal, nothing save the final destruction of an honest but limited team whose time has now run out.

The tournament is not over, although it probably is for Jason Robinson. The one saving grace on a dire night was the little full back who deferred his retirement only to play at this World Cup. He pulled up in the first attack of any consequence by England, a hamstring bringing him to a shuddering halt, and limped away in the sad knowledge that the try that crowned his career and helped England to glory in Sydney in 2003 is now light years away.

But from the depth of despair, England must now summon up a display to beat Samoa in Nantes next Saturday, then Tonga, and thereby qualify for the quarter-finals in Marseilles on October 6, probably against Australia, who play Wales today. That alone will test the resolve of Brian Ashton, his coaching panel and senior players such as Martin Corry, Mike Catt and Mark Regan, who are now contemplating the last knockings of their international careers.

Ashton, the head coach, in his half-time talk when England trailed by 20 points, referred to the “Rumble in the Jungle”, the boxing match in which Muhammad Ali, having absorbed so much punishment, came back to beat George Foreman. But there was no such rally, nor was there ever likely to be against a South Africa side brilliantly directed from scrum half by Fourie du Preez and who held the whip hand from first to last.

This was no kind of revenge for the Springboks for the pool defeat at the 2003 World Cup, merely a statement of a powerful side growing in confidence and living in the present. As luck would have it, they were the last side to hold England scoreless, in an 18-0 victory in Cape Town, on the tour from Hell in 1998. Now they are a side who have grown together in a way that England simply have not been allowed to do in the past four years.

Even then, they played a constrained game; had the Springboks cut loose, then the margin of defeat would surely have been even worse. It was, in any case, England’s biggest defeat in the World Cup, beating another Springbok mark, the 44-21 demolition of Clive Woodward’s side, also in Paris, in 1999. Had Jaque Fourie scored from Du Preez’s instinctive cross-kick rather than losing the ball in Josh Lewsey’s tackle over the line, they might have been propelled to a record winning margin between the two sides, the 48-point difference in Bloemfontein in May.

But England punished themselves as much as did South Africa. Throughout the evening, they were inaccurate in their kicking and they were turned over in possession nine times, giving the Springboks so many chances to counter-attack. Any worries about Andy Farrell’s ability to kick at goal on the grand stage were as straws in the wind: England were given no opportunities and their decision-making in the final quarter, when at last they discovered some continuity, denied them even the consolation of a try.

Within the first 11 minutes, South Africa had scored ten points, having dominated both possession and territory. It is all very well for Corry, the England captain, to say England were generous but the Springboks saw space and exploited it: J. P. Pietersen set off on a blind-side run before freeing Du Preez and, although Robinson ankle-tapped the scrum half, he was not held and he sent Juan Smith over.

Francois Steyn and Percy Montgomery steadily built the lead, but South Africa were happy to pepper the posts with attempted dropped goals rather than press home their superiority. There was a comic element to their second try, when they dropped turnover ball, but England’s midfield rushed up too swiftly and Du Preez picked up and found no one between him and the line 60 metres away. When he was closed down, Pietersen was at his elbow to finish.

Two more penalty goals by Montgomery extended the gap after the interval and, when Robinson’s hamstring gave way, he left amid a flurry of Springbok replacements, which said much about the side’s disdain for anything that England could produce. There was also generous applause from a crowd that recognised Robinson’s contribution, to international league and union, is now surely over.

Not that South Africa had finished. Having held England at arm’s length, they made their way back to the opposing 22, Du Preez looped to the right of a ruck and gave Pietersen his second try. Jamie Noon left the field on a stretcher and the band that, earlier in the half, had played

Those Were the Days had surely sensed the mood.

Scorers: South Africa: Tries: Smith (6min), Pietersen 2 (39, 64). Conversions: Montgomery 3. Penalty goals: Steyn (11), Montgomery 4 (36, 46, 55, 79). Scoring sequence (England first): 0-7, 0-10, 0-13, 0-20 (half-time), 0-23, 0-26, 0-33, 0-36.

England: J Robinson (unattached; rep: M Tait, Newcastle Falcons, 58); P Sackey (London Wasps), J Noon (Newcastle Falcons; rep: P Richards, London Irish, 79), A Farrell (Saracens), J Lewsey (London Wasps); M Catt (London Irish), S Perry (Bristol; rep: A Gomarsall, Harlequins, 41); A Sheridan (Sale Sharks; rep: P Freshwater, Perpignan, 77), M Regan (Bristol; rep: G Chuter, Leicester, 56), M Stevens (Bath), S Shaw (London Wasps; rep: S Borthwick, Bath, 77), B Kay (Leicester), M Corry (Leicester), T Rees (London Wasps; rep: L Moody, Leicester, 53), N Easter (Harlequins).

South Africa: P Montgomery; J-P Pietersen, J Fourie, F Steyn (rep: W Olivier, 76), B Habana (rep: R Pienaar, 56-60); A James (rep: A Pretorius, 71), F du Preez (rep: R Pienaar, 67); J du Randt (rep: C J van der Linde , 61), J Smit (rep: B du Plessis, 71), B J Botha, J Botha (rep: J Muller, 53), V Matfield, J van Heerden, J Smith (rep: R Skinstad, 71), D Rossouw.

Referee: J Jutge (France).

Attendance: 79,700.