Eddie Jones refused to use late entry to the stadium and the early loss of key prop Kyle Sinckler as excuses for England's disappointing World Cup Final defeat, while he also remained quiet on his own future.
England's team bus appeared to arrive later than usual ahead of kick-off against South Africa at the International Stadium Yokohama on Saturday, while just three minutes of the match had elapsed when tighthead Sinckler was knocked out after colliding with team-mate Maro Itoje as the duo tried to tackle Makazole Mapimpi.
Asked if that late arrival was a significant factor, Jones said: "Not at all, mate."
Sinckler's departure crucially hurt England at the set-piece, with experienced replacement Dan Cole unable to stem the tide as South Africa won numerous scrum penalties that were crucially converted by reliable fly-half Handre Pollard.
"He’s recovering," Jones said of Sinckler, who was able to walk off under his own power. "He’s going through all the head injury protocols.
"It’s part of the game, mate. You have 23 guys, you lose a guy early, you’ve got to be able to cover it. I don’t think that was a significant factor in the game."
Questions then inevitably turned to Jones's own future.
While the Australian is under contract with the RFU until 2021 after signing a two-year extension in early 2018, it remains to be seen if he will be willing to commit to another World Cup cycle.
"The only thing I’m worried about now is having a few beers," he said. "And after we have a few beers today we’ll probably have a few more beers tomorrow. And then probably Monday.
"And then maybe we have to pull up stumps."
