Australia's most capped captain Michael Hooper says he's hurting for the Wallabies after their record loss to Wales which is set to end their Rugby World Cup hopes.
Players such as Rob Valetini and Nick Frost were in tears, consoled by their teammates at OL Stadium in Lyon following Australia's 40-6 thrashing, which was the country's biggest-ever defeat in the tournament.
Watch every game of the Rugby World Cup LIVE on Stan Sport. Start watching Stan Sport now.
They look certain of elimination, missing the quarter-finals for the first time ever.
Hooper was one of the biggest omissions from Eddie Jones's World Cup squad, alongside playmaker Quade Cooper, as the coach pursued a youth agenda.
But the team's inexperience on the big stage was telling with the Australians comprehensively outplayed by Wales and also by Fiji in their previous pool match.
In commentary veteran flanker Hooper said he felt for the players and their fans.
"I'm looking at the faces of our boys there on screen and that's a representation of how we all feel I think, they're absolutely gutted," Hooper said on Stan Sport.
"There's no lack of effort - obviously we're well off the pace.
"I've still got my player's hat on, I'm a part of this team, I was in here six or seven games ago too so it really hurts when you're not able to get the pay-off for all the hard work you do but also give fans and the country something to get behind.
"As we saw with the Matildas earlier in the year, you want to get that 'We can do something here', and to have that ripped out from under you it's heart-breaking."
Hooper also sought to defend coach Jones after slumping to yet another defeat.
"No one’s up in more hours in the day than Eddie, that guy’s going to bed at 11 at night thinking about how to make all Wallabies team better,” Hooper said on Stan Sport.
“He’s waking up at three in the morning answering messages on how to make the Wallabies team better. So there’s no lack of desire for that for that guy to make this team the best it can possibly be."
Former Test playmaker Bernard Foley, who was also omitted with Jones as the coach took only one specialist five-eighth in rookie Carter Gordon, tweeted: "It didn't have to be like this.
"Players have always put in."
