IPSWICH born Dan Hipkiss has spoken of the positives which need to be taken from the World Cup campaign - and his own joy at being part of a final.

IPSWICH born Dan Hipkiss has spoken of the positives which need to be taken from the World Cup campaign - and his own joy at being part of a final.

Speaking from France, he said the team had given their all and had no complaints about the result.

While playing at the Stade de France, he was cheered on by Diss rugby club where he started his career.

Hipkiss, a former pupil at Hartismere High School, in Eye, said: “Obviously I'm very disappointed after the match and it is always difficult watching the opposition collecting the trophy.

“But given time to reflect we have got to take a lot of positives out of it and have got to be reasonably happy.”

Emails from Hipkiss' former rugby club at Diss flooded in before the final and the Leicester centre said he was delighted with all the support.

He said: “I have kept in contact with a few of the guys and read all the e-mails and I'm very grateful to the people at Diss. I will try and get back there in the next few weeks.”

Hipkiss joined the game to replace Jason Robinson, who had injured his shoulder, although he had already been told the player was struggling with tight hamstrings.

“You never want a player like Jason Robinson to have to come off but I already had it in mind I would be going on,” he said.

“I have good memories to take away but I'm not looking to the Six Nations now, all I've got to do now is go back to Leicester and perform.”

Meanwhile, Jack Gomarsall, of Bury St Edmunds - the Suffolk-based father of Andy Gomarsall - said: “We were very tense and nervous before the game but it was just not meant to be. When you see how many people travelled and how much interest there was in the sport, it has been an incredible achievement.”

“I think after how we started the tournament, the pressure was off us a little in the final and whatever happened would be a bonus.”