In the end, there was no fulfilment of the most unlikely dream and no searing climax to this magnificent tournament. In a final in which faint hearts were run clean out of town, in a match of the most biting intensity in which the collisions were brutal, it was South Africa who came through, with their strong arms and hearts, with their power in the contact areas and with their composure.

It is true to say that they never mounted more than one really dangerous attack and they were beaten for possession and territory by an England side that, with their limitations showing, played with typical heroism. The truth is that South Africa deserved to win, that they held out in great comfort as England attacked desperately in the last 15 minutes to try to retain their world title.

Just once, at the very start of the second half, did an England attacking machine that has misfired throughout the tournament, crank itself into life. Mathew Tait, the young centre, swivelled and set off on a startling run, past several South African defenders and although he was tackled by the marvellous Bok lock, Victor Matfield, England recycled the ball and Jonny Wilkinson sent Mark Cueto diving for the corner.

The England wing grounded the ball as Danie Rossouw desperately tried to drag his legs into touch. Cueto’s left leg from his knee down to his boot was clearly over the touchline, but was any part of the leg grounded before the touchdown? The decision was referred to the television match official with the statutory instruction that he must award a try unless there is any compelling reason not to. From all the replays from all the angles available to Stuart Dickinson, the Australian TMO, there did not seem to be one which conclusively ruled out a try. Freeze framing not available at the time suggested, on balance, that Cueto may have struck the touchline, but on the facts and on the procedures, and especially on the similar incidents so far this tournament, England were unfortunate not to be awarded the try that would have put them one Wilkinson conversion away from taking the lead. England had to settle simply for the penalty, awarded for an horrendous kill of the ball by Schalk Burger, after the Tait break.

Yet this was to be the only time in which England really threatened. Until the arrival of the powerful Dan Hipkiss late on, England simply had no focal point in their backs outside Andy Gomarsall at scrum-half, nobody to hold up the ball, to absorb contact and nobody to play off.

So the final came down to England’s attempts to smash their way to victory up front and against a team like South Africa, with all their weight and all their weight of forward history, it was never going to happen. South Africa’s port in a storm was their lineout, where Matfield and his supporting cast were quite magnificent.

Although Andrew Sheridan and company gave it a fearful lash, England never gained proper dominance. They were also affected in terms of morale and personnel when the great Jason Robinson, their one wild card, had to leave the field early in the second half, bringing down the curtain on a stupendous career; and when the battered Phil Vickery had to leave the match at half-time.

South Africa were well served by Percy Montgomery at full-back, and not just because he kicked so well. Their own midfield was no more impressive than that of England’s and it was obvious throughout that, in a sense, this match did not sit easily on the shoulders of the rest of the event because here, even though we were watching two of the best three teams in the tournament, we were not watching great teams. Given the stupendous performance of Argentina on Friday, you wondered how the Pumas were coping with the knowledge that because of their one weak game against the Springboks in the semi-final, they may well have thrown away the crown.

Talking of weak performances, we once again had a World Cup final of poor officiating, and this is even if you adhere to the rather shaky evidence that the TMO was correct to disallow England’s try.

The match was decided, in the end, when Mr Rolland ignored a obstructing run by the Boks in midfield which you could have spotted from Calais or Perpignan with equal facility; and then soon afterwards, he penalised Ben Kay for what he thought was a similar offence, when in fact Kay did very little bar move out of the way of his own player.

England’s lineout problems were already acute when South Africa took the lead. Tait was caught in around three different minds when giving the ball in his own 22. He compounded matters by falling over, referee Rolland compounded them further by allowing Francois Steyn to dive crudely over the top, and after Tait was penalised it was Montgomery who kicked the first points.

Yet JP Pietersen then dropped a high kick out on the right wing, and when South Africa killed with Paul Sackey in possession, Wilkinson put them level.

The officials did not spot an horrendous flying head-butt from Bakkies Botha in a ruck – the game’s authorities must act to the taking out of defenceless players in rucks. But considering that England had found some sort of shape, it was aggravating that they went behind after Lewis Moody flicked out a boot to trip Butch James and it was 6-3.

The Boks then hammered away from close range and England eventually conceded a penalty after a controversial scrum turnover, and Montgomery made no mistake to take England in at 9-3 down.

They reemerged without Vickery, but after Tait’s run and Cueto’s dive, they seemed to be slap-bang back in the match. But the try was ruled out and after that England did not look likely winners. Toby Flood was lucky not to receive a yellow card when shoving Montgomery over an advertising hoarding and into a television camera.

South Africa extended their lead with two penalties, one of them deeply controversial, and the Boks were able to hold out in some comfort.

All that remained at the end was one of those silly ceremonies in which every Tom, Dick and bottle washer was allowed to go up to claim a medal. The players deserved them for their utter selflessness, and South Africa’s deserved theirs more.

Star man: Victor Matfield (South Africa)

England: J Robinson (unattached, D Hipkiss (Leicester) 47min); P Sackey (Wasps), M Tait (Newcastle), M Catt (London Irish, T Flood (Newcastle) 51min), M Cueto (Sale); J Wilkinson (Newcastle), A Gomarsall (Harlequins); A Sheridan (Sale), M Regan (Bristol, G Chuter (Leicester) 63min), P Vickery (capt, Wasps, M Stevens (Bath) h-t), S Shaw (Wasps), B Kay (Leicester), M Corry (Leicester), N Easter (Harlequins, L Dallaglio (Wasps) 65min), L Moody (Leicester, J Worsley (Wasps) 63min, P Richards (London Irish) 71min)

South Africa: P Montgomery (Sharks); JP Pietersen (Sharks), J Fourie (Lions), F Steyn (Sharks), B Habana (Bulls); B James (Sharks), F du Preez (Bulls); O du Randt (Cheetahs), J Smit (capt, Sharks, B du Plessis (Cheetahs) 72-77min), CJ van der Linde (Cheetahs), B Botha (Bulls), V Matfield (Bulls), S Burger (Stormers), D Rossouw (Bulls, W van Heerden (Bulls) 72min), J Smith (Cheetahs)