Rugby World Cup final: Captain Sarah Hunter says England are 'hurting' after agonising defeat

Rugby World Cup final defeat can't diminish the impact of the Red Roses on their sport according to Sarah Hunter.

Hunter said that one result does not define the squad that they are.

We hope to inspire the next generation and give them a reason to be proud.

A run of 30 consecutive victories for England was ended by the defeat in which Lydia Thompson was sent off in the 18th minute.

The Red Roses were pre-tournament favorites, but New Zealand were inspired by their loss to England.

"Sport is cruel and sport doesn't end the way you want it to," said Hunter.

New Zealand was credited with finding a way. They are deserving of the title of champion.

We can be happy. Regardless of the result, we didn't leave any stone unturned and that's what we wanted to do.

We didn't leave anything on the field. It will take time but we will get through it.

'Players gave absolutely everything' - Middleton

The head coach said that he was proud of his team. We are proud of the players. They didn't give anything away. For fifty, 51 days.

They've done nothing but their absolute best.

He said it didn't help. It's difficult having so many players. They put us under a lot of pressure and we put them under a lot of pressure as well.

England had a chance to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

It was taken to the wire. At the end, it could have went either way. I am so proud of the players. They did not have enough to give.

There are twists in a game. We dealt with it as part of the game.

In the build up to the tournament, Middleton said a win would be a disappointment.

He said it's in terms of the goals. If you talk to any of the players, they will say the same thing.

On huge fronts, we won. We wanted to be a better team than we were. We did everything that was asked of us. Over the last 51 days, we've won a lot.

'We have some global superstars coming through'

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.

He said they wanted to be true to their genes.

I will be following these women for the rest of their lives. We have some global superstars coming through.

The future is great. I will be following them from a different place.

The captain of the Black Ferns praised the home support. I didn't think we would get that when we walked out of the tunnel.

I think we have accomplished part of our plan by inspiring the nation.