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Eddie Jones on where he erred in World Cup final

Cape Town - England coach Eddie Jones feels he made an error which cost his side in the Rugby World Cup final against South Africa.

England went into the contest as favourites after upsetting the All Blacks 19-7 in the semi-finals, but came unstuck against a determined Springbok side, losing 32-12.

In an interview with UK-based The Telegraph, Jones said he erred in naming the same line-up for the final.

"I know in my head where we could have probably made improvements. One of the areas was that I probably made a mistake in terms of selection. That's all with the benefit of hindsight, but I should probably have refreshed the team for the final," Jones said.

England appeared rattled from the start against an imposing Springbok defence and the South Africans also annihilated the Red Roses at scrum time.

Jones added: "It was one of those days. Sometimes they start the game brilliantly and things come off for them.

"We start the game a little bit off, lacking a tiny bit of energy because we'd played four big games in a row. That's the reality of it - we just came unstuck."

Jones is staying put as England coach for at least two more years - when his current contract expires.

He'll also have the opportunity to take his mind off the World Cup final - a match he says he "probably won't watch" - when he takes charge of the Barbarians.

Jones included nine Springboks in his squad ahead of Saturday's match against Fiji at Twickenham.

The BaaBaas will also face Brazil in Sao Paolo (November 20) and Wales in Cardiff (November 30).

Barbarians squad:

Forwards

Tendai Mtawarira, Rory Best, Enrique Pieretto, Luke Jones, Matt Philip, Pete Samu, Marco van Staden, Josh Strauss, Andrew Makalio, Campese Maafu, Hencus van Wyk, Tyler Ardron, Angus Cottrell

Backs

Makazole Mapimpi, Mathieu Bastareaud, Lukhanyo Am, Jano Vermaak, David Havili, Morne Steyn, Santiago Iglesias, Curwin Bosch, Billy Meakes, Bautista Ezcurra, Andre Esterhuizen, Joe Powell, Dillyn Leyds

- Compiled by Herman Mostert

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