England, battered France in quarters
Source: Agencies |
October 2, 2011, Sunday
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ENGLAND rallied in the second half of a hard-fought match to defeat Scotland 16-12 yesterday and ensure a place in the Rugby World Cup quarterfinals after the first game on neutral territory between rugby union's oldest rivals.
A Chris Ashton try, his sixth of the tournament, near the end of the Pool B clash on a wet and windy night in Auckland set England up for a quarterfinal against France next Saturday.
France limped into the knockout stages despite losing 14-19 to Tonga in Wellington, its second loss on successive Saturdays, while twice champion Australia took its place in the last eight with a 68-22 victory over Russia.
The Scots, who needed to win by eight points to reach the knockout stages, dominated the forward exchanges to lead 12-3 after 56 minutes.
But they then messed up the kickoff and turned over possession to England. Jonny Wilkinson, who had endured another indifferent day with the boot, dropped a goal to spark the revival which preserved the 2003 champion's unbeaten record.
"We are sometimes making it very hard for ourselves but I think the main thing is the character we showed to get ourselves out of a very tough hole," said manager Martin Johnson.
Tonga celebrated the biggest upset of the tournament and the greatest day in the Pacific Islanders' rugby history while also lamenting the 20-25 loss to Canada which has ultimately cost them a quarterfinal place.
France should have been wiped out on the scoreboard, but Tonga bombed numerous try-scoring chances and usual dead-eye kicker Kurt Morath made only five of nine shots at goal. Even so, Morath set up Tonga's try, his crosskick taken on the bounce by winger Suka Hufanga in the right corner.
Tonga never looked like losing after that, but France claimed the one bonus point it needed deep in injury time when Vincent Clerc scored in the same right corner.
Tonga's victory followed Samoa's 5-13 loss to defending champion South Africa on Friday and underlined the wealth of talent in the Pacific Islands.
"We are capable of beating England but if we play like we did against Tonga, we will be heading back to France," said France captain Thierry Dusautoir.
Australia's victory came at a price with a hamstring injury for Drew Mitchell that looks likely to have ended the winger's involvement in the tournament.
The Wallabies joined their Tri-Nations' rivals New Zealand and Australia in the knockout phase and the Wallabies might have to beat them both to reach the final if Ireland defeats Italy today to finish top of Pool C.
Mitchell, who suffered a badly broken leg in April, added his second try early in the second half but pulled up going for his third.
The All Blacks also have injury problems before their final Pool A match against Canada today, with their two most influential players relegated to the sidelines.
Captain Richie McCaw will rest a long-standing foot injury while flyhalf Daniel Carter left training with a groin injury sustained during kicking practice.
A Chris Ashton try, his sixth of the tournament, near the end of the Pool B clash on a wet and windy night in Auckland set England up for a quarterfinal against France next Saturday.
France limped into the knockout stages despite losing 14-19 to Tonga in Wellington, its second loss on successive Saturdays, while twice champion Australia took its place in the last eight with a 68-22 victory over Russia.
The Scots, who needed to win by eight points to reach the knockout stages, dominated the forward exchanges to lead 12-3 after 56 minutes.
But they then messed up the kickoff and turned over possession to England. Jonny Wilkinson, who had endured another indifferent day with the boot, dropped a goal to spark the revival which preserved the 2003 champion's unbeaten record.
"We are sometimes making it very hard for ourselves but I think the main thing is the character we showed to get ourselves out of a very tough hole," said manager Martin Johnson.
Tonga celebrated the biggest upset of the tournament and the greatest day in the Pacific Islanders' rugby history while also lamenting the 20-25 loss to Canada which has ultimately cost them a quarterfinal place.
France should have been wiped out on the scoreboard, but Tonga bombed numerous try-scoring chances and usual dead-eye kicker Kurt Morath made only five of nine shots at goal. Even so, Morath set up Tonga's try, his crosskick taken on the bounce by winger Suka Hufanga in the right corner.
Tonga never looked like losing after that, but France claimed the one bonus point it needed deep in injury time when Vincent Clerc scored in the same right corner.
Tonga's victory followed Samoa's 5-13 loss to defending champion South Africa on Friday and underlined the wealth of talent in the Pacific Islands.
"We are capable of beating England but if we play like we did against Tonga, we will be heading back to France," said France captain Thierry Dusautoir.
Australia's victory came at a price with a hamstring injury for Drew Mitchell that looks likely to have ended the winger's involvement in the tournament.
The Wallabies joined their Tri-Nations' rivals New Zealand and Australia in the knockout phase and the Wallabies might have to beat them both to reach the final if Ireland defeats Italy today to finish top of Pool C.
Mitchell, who suffered a badly broken leg in April, added his second try early in the second half but pulled up going for his third.
The All Blacks also have injury problems before their final Pool A match against Canada today, with their two most influential players relegated to the sidelines.
Captain Richie McCaw will rest a long-standing foot injury while flyhalf Daniel Carter left training with a groin injury sustained during kicking practice.
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