Typically, it took an Australian to strip apart England’s laboured defences. In all the woolly talk during the immediate inquest about a setback and need for change, Ricky Stuart, whose Australia team will contest the World Cup final on Saturday against New Zealand after England’s dismal semi-final exit, put his finger on the real reason for the British game’s failings at international level, which have never been more exposed than over the past four weeks.

“I understand why powerbrokers at English Super League clubs persist in targeting Australian talent — our superior footballers help their chances of winning matches — but the negative effect has never been more obvious,” said Stuart, the Australia coach, who is mindful that nine British clubs are in Sydney talking to NRL players’ agents. “After what I’ve witnessed from England, the international game has suffered terribly. Their national side has been disadvantaged by the scramble from owners, coaches and managers to ensure their own individual success.

“Since the last World Cup , England have gone backwards. There’s really no denying it and it’s difficult to see any improvement at the elite level while clubs persist in raiding Australia and New Zealand for talent. The lack of focus on developing their youth is clear by the fact that 39 per cent of Super League players are imports. How is that a benefit to the development of their grass roots?”

With the self-interest of clubs unlikely to abate and new regulations supposed to limit the numbers of overseas players easily circumvented, the pool of home-grown talent is in danger of shrinking further. Without profound change, thrashings in which England leaked a staggering 142 points in four World Cup matches could become routine, although there were particular difficulties with Tony Smith’s squad, one that travelled with reasonable expectation of reaching the final but fell woefully short.

Defensive shape was at times non-existent, errors fed on errors and some farcical last-tackle options were compounded by an atrocious kicking game, and yet England could and should have beaten a far from impressive New Zealand both in the final pool game and in Saturday’s semi-final, when three times they got back to within six points and systematically blew their chances.

Richard Lewis, the RFL executive chairman, said of Smith, whose failure to elicit even one half-decent performance must come under scrutiny: “He has a huge role to play in the debrief of what’s happened here and in setting the record straight when we have a Four Nations in the northern hemisphere in 2009.”

However compromised they were by the slower play-the-ball and wrestling at the ruck allowed in the southern hemisphere — which could force the British game to sacrifice some of its entertainment value in following suit — England’s downfall was perpetrated by their own bungling.

Paul Wellens would be hard pushed to play as erratically. He will be far from alone, if Saturday was indeed the end of the St Helens full back’s international career. Ade Gardner similarly had a stinker on the wing and Rob Burrow was so comprehensively outplayed at scrum half by Nathan Fien, who had a hand or foot in all six New Zealand tries, that it was embarrassing. James Roby’s reputation at hooker took a severe knock and Rob Purdham, the loose forward, alas, was not the only player way out of his depth.

Danny McGuire’s two tries and others by Jamie Peacock and Martin Gleeson took England into a position from which they might have sneaked into the final. However, Purdham spilt Roby’s poor pass in a promising position at 28-22 down to let the Kiwis off the hook and Benji Marshall’s last-minute try sealed their third World Cup final appearance.

Scorers: New Zealand: Tries: Perrett, Hohaia, Ropati 2, Harrison, Marshall. Goals: Smith 3, Marshall. England: Tries: Peacock, McGuire 2, Gleeson. Goals: Burrow 3.

New Zealand: L Hohaia; S Perrett, S Mannering, J Ropati, M Vatuvei; B Marshall, N Fien; N Cayless, T Leuluai, A Blair, B Harrison, D Fa'alogo, J Smith. Interchange: I Luke, G Eastwood, S Rapira, S Manu.

England: P Wellens; A Gardner, M Gleeson, K Senior, M Calderwood; D McGuire, R Burrow; J Graham, J Roby, J Peacock, B Westwood, G Ellis, R Purdham. Interchange: L Pryce, A Morley, M Higham, J Wilkin.

Referee: S Hayne (Australia).