England meet Boks in Final after beating All Blacks

RUGBY WORLD CUP

SEMI FINAL FIXTURES

26-Oct	ENGLAND	19-7	NEW ZEALAND	Yokohama
09:00	Tuilagi Ford (4) Farrell -	T P C DG	Savea - Mo'unga -
27-Oct	WALES	16-19	SOUTH AFRICA	Yokohama
09:00	Adams Biggar (3) Halfpenny -	T P C DG	De Allende Pollard (4) Pollard -

ENGLAND reached the Rugby World Cup Final against South Africa after a comprehensive semi final win over the reigning champions New Zealand in Yokohama.

Manu Tuilagi scored after just 98 seconds and Eddie Jones's men then produced a phenomenal performance to control the proceedings throughout the contest.

A 12-point margin in a semi final is, of course, nothing to be sniffed at, especially as England had never previously beaten the All Blacks at a World Cup.

However, it could - and probably should - have been an even bigger win. Sam Underhill and Ben Youngs both crossed the whitewash, only to see their tries ruled out by the video referee Marius Jonker.

The decision to rule out Underhill's score in the first half was fair enough as Tom Curry had blocked off two defenders - but Youngs looked to have scored a legitimate try off the back of a maul.

Jonker disagreed and ruled that the ball had been lost in the maul and that therefore there had been a knock-on.

As such, England's lead remained at 13-0 though this was the least they deserved considering their dominance in possession and territory.

There is a reason, however, why defeating the All Blacks remains such a special achievement - and just one sniff of weakness was all it took for the three-time champions to get themselves back into the game.

England lost their own line-out just five metres out - and, as Ardie Savea gleefully pounced on the gift, it felt at the time as if the score might cause a shift in momentum.

However, the major sea-change never arrived as England continued to dominate at the breakdown.

New Zealand's struggles were neatly summed up by their penalty count which eventually numbered 11 in total at the sound of the full-time gong.

George Ford kicked four out of five over the posts to extend the lead to 19-7 with the fourth successful kick coming just 11 minutes from end.

By then, barring a major calamity, England were safely in the Final and so it was confirmed when Savea knocked on one last time.

In a way, it was a rather sad way for All Blacks coach Steve Hansen to end his otherwise supreme seven-year reign as head coach of New Zealand.

But Hansen is far from being alone in that regard, with Wales coach Warren Gatland also having to settle for a third-place playoff on Friday following a 12-year sojourn.

The second semi final between Wales and South Africa yesterday was largely an attritional kick-fest, something which seemed to suit the Springboks.

At half time, the score was 9-6 to the South Africans as both Handre Pollard and Dan Biggar kicked as if their lives depended upon it.

Thankfully, the second half was slightly more lively - and, after Biggar levelled the match at 9-9,
Damian de Allende burst through the Welsh defensive line to deliver a huge blow.

Wales fought bravely, opting for a scrum rather take the penalty at the sticks on offer - and they were rewarded for their strategy when the brilliant Josh Adams dived over for his sixth try of the tournament.

Leigh Halfpenny converted to make it 16-16 with 14 minutes left and extra time beckoned - but, agonisingly, referee Jérôme Garcès was then left with no choice other than to penalise Dillon Lewis after he came in at the side of a driving maul.

Pollard was in no mood to spoil his 100% record at this critical juncture - and Wales, for once, were left without an answer.

Gatland thus joins fellow Kiwis Hansen and Ireland coach Joe Schmidt in ending their current roles on something of a low note.

Ireland had a particularly underwhelming campaign having entered the tournament ranked as world number one with defeat to Japan in the Pool stages pushing them into a tough Quarter Final against New Zealand.

The Irish had never gone beyond the last eight of a World Cup and, in fact, had never won a knockout stage match in this competition.

Both of those facts remain true and Ireland were effectively out of the contest at 22-0 down at the interval as they eventually ended with a 46-14 thumping.

England also won comfortably in their Quarter Final as suggestions that they were undercooked in the Pool stage were put to bed by a thrashing of two-time winners Australia.

A brace from Jonny May and further scores from Kyle Sinckler and Anthony Watson buried a desperately poor Wallabies side which only briefly threatened a comeback when Marika Koroibete went over just after half time.

Remarkably, it had become a one-point game - but, in the next England attack, prop forward Sinckler appeared from nowhere to barrel over under the posts and restore order.

All this meant that the only really tight Quarter Final was Wales v France as the men in red almost lost their nerve, only for one player from Les Bleus to lose his mind instead.

France, typically, had seemed to have produced an amazing performance from nowhere having scrambled through the Pool stages with two almost identical 23-21 wins over Argentina and Tonga.

Wales were shell-shocked as Sebastien Vahaamahina and Charles Ollivon both scored inside eight minutes to make it 12-0 to the French.

It was a good job then that Wales woke up and found a response through Aaron Wainwright who capitalised on some loose French play and charged from the halfway line to score.

Unfathomably, though, France continued to have the better of the contest as Virimi Vakatawa went over to make it 19-10 at the half-time gong.

Seemingly then, a young French team were in place to raise a few eyebrows when they almost inevitably pressed a big red button marked "self-destruct".

The dismissal of lock Vahaamahina for a sickening full-pelt elbow on Wainwright was one of the easiest decisions for the officials at this World Cup.

Initially, Wales struggled to use the man advantage in their favour - but, just as time was ticking away, Ross Moriaty piled over and Dan Biggar added the extras to win the game.

The fourth Quarter Final pitched hosts Japan against South Africa in the Japanese capital Tokyo.

Hosts Japan had enjoyed a wonderful World Cup, reaching the knockout stages for the first time after deserved Pool A successes over Ireland and Scotland.

At half time with the score at 5-3 to South Africa, Japan sensed that they might make even more history.

But the Springboks expertly shut down the Cherry Blossoms in the second period as Faf de Klerk and Makazole Mapimpi scored inside the last 20 minutes to win the game.

Clearly then, the generally attritional style of South Africa has so far paid dividends for Rassie Erasmus's men - but England can take heart from the fact that the Springboks have already been beaten at this very tournament.

In the Pool stages, the All Blacks beat the South Africans by a clear 10 points to rack up a 14th consecutive World Cup win in a sequence which stretched back to a defeat in the Quarter Finals to France in 2007.

But the 2003 champions have now brought that 18-match, 12-year run to an end - and so it can now be confirmed that the shimmering William Webb Ellis Cup will be passed on to England or South Africa in the Land of the Rising Sun.

RUGBY WORLD CUP
QUARTER FINALS FIXTURES

19-Oct	ENGLAND	40-16	AUSTRALIA	Oita
08:15	May (2), Sinckler, Watson Farrell (4) Farrell (4) -	T P C DG	Koroibete Lealiifano Lealiifano -
19-Oct	NEW ZEALAND	46-14	IRELAND	Tokyo
11:15	A Smith (2), B Barrett, Taylor, Todd Bridge, Barrett Mo'unga Mo'unga (4) -	T P C DG	Henshaw, penalty - Carbery -
20-Oct	WALES	20-19	FRANCE	Oita
08:15	Wainwright, Moriarty Biggar (2) Biggar (2) -	T P C DG	Vahaamahina, Ollivon, Vakatawa - Ntamack (2) -
20-Oct	JAPAN	3-26	SOUTH AFRICA	Tokyo
11:15	- Tamura - -	T P C DG	Mapimpi (2), De Klerk Pollard (3) Pollard -

TOP POINTS SCORERS
51 Yu Tamura (Japan) 
47 Handré Pollard (South Africa)
46 Owen Farrell (England)
39 Richie Mo'unga (New Zealand), Dan Biggar (Wales)
32 George Ford (England)
31 Jordie Barrett (New Zealand)
30 Felipe Berchesi (Uruguay), Josh Adams (Wales)
28 Elton Janjies (South Africa)
27 Romain Ntamack (France)
26 Adam Hastings (Scotland), Jonathan Sexton (Ireland)
25 Kotaro Matsushima (Japan), Makazole Mapimpi (South Africa)
23 Tommaso Allan (Italy), Christian Lealiifano (Australia)
21 Ben Volavola (Fiji), Sonatane Takulua (Tonga)20 Julián Montoya (Argentina), Nicolás Sánchez (Argentina), Kenki Fukuoka (Japan)

TOP TRY SCORERS
6 Josh Adams (Wales)
5 Kotaro Matsushima (Japan), Makazole Mapimpi (South Africa)
4 Julián Montoya (Argentina), Kenki Fukuoka (Japan)
3 Dane Haylett-Petty (Australia), George Horne (Scotland), Bongi Mbonambi (South Africa), Luke Cowan-Dickie (England), Cobus Reinach (South Africa), Andrew Conway (Ireland), Telusa Veainu (Tonga), Jonny May (England), Jordie Barrett (New Zealand), Marika Koroibete (Australia), Manu Tuilagi (England)
2 Juan Cruz Mallia (Argentina), Joaquín Tuculet (Argentina), Will Genia (Australia), Michael Hooper (Australia), Tevita Kuridrani (Australia), Tolu Latu (Australia), Joe Cokanasiga (England), George Ford (England), Niko Matawalu (Fiji), Waisea Nayacalevu (Fiji), Semi Radradra (Fiji), Api Ratuniyarawa (Fiji), Josua Tuisova (Fiji), Gaël Fickou (France), Alivereti Raka (France), Virimi Vakatawa (France), Levan Chilachava (Georgia), Alexander Todua (Georgia), Rory Best (Ireland), Tadhg Furlong (Ireland), Rob Kearney (Ireland), Garry Ringrose (Ireland), Jonathan Sexton (Ireland), Mattia Bellini (Italy), Matteo Minozzi (Italy), Beauden Barrett (New Zealand), Scott Barrett (New Zealand), George Bridge (New Zealand), Anton Lienert-Brown (New Zealand), Sevu Reece (New Zealand), Aaron Smith (New Zealand), Ben Smith (New Zealand), Brad Weber (New Zealand), Ed Fidow (Samoa), Alapati Leiua (Samoa), Adam Hastings (Scotland), Lukhanyo Am (South Africa), Schalk Brits (South Africa), Warrick Gelant (South Africa), Cheslin Kolbe (South Africa), Mali Hingano (Tonga), Blaine Scully (United States), Mike Te'o (United States), Manuel Diana (Uruguay), Gareth Davies (Wales), Liam Williams (Wales), Tomos Williams (Wales)

RED CARDS
26-Sep John Quill (United States) v England, Pool C
29-Sep Facundo Gattas (Uruguay) v Georgia, Pool D
30-Sep Ed Fidow (Samoa) v Scotland, Pool A
04-Oct Andrea Lovotti (Italy) v South Africa, Pool B
05-Oct Tomás Lavanini (Argentina) v England, Pool C
08-Oct Josh Larsen (Canada) v South Africa, Pool B
12-Oct Bundee Aki (Ireland) v Samoa, Pool A
20-Oct Sébastien Vahaamahina (France) v Wales, Quarter finals

BIGGEST WINS
63 New Zealand 63-0 Canada, Pool B
62 New Zealand 71-9 Namibia, Pool B
61 Scotland 61-0 Russia, Pool A
59 South Africa 66-7 Canada, Pool B
54 South Africa 57-3 Namibia, Pool B
44 South Africa 47-3 Italy, Pool B
42 Ireland 47-5 Samoa, Pool A
41 Italy 48-7 Canada, Pool B
35 Ireland 35-0 Russia, Pool A
35 Fiji 45-10 Georgia, Pool D
35 Australia 45-10 Uruguay, Pool D
34 Scotland 34-0 Samoa, Pool A
32 New Zealand 46-14 Ireland, Quarter finals
32 England 35-3 Tonga, Pool C
30 Argentina 47-17 United States, Pool C

SHUTOUTS
30-Sep Scotland 34-0 Samoa, Pool A
02-Oct New Zealand 63-0 Canada, Pool B
05-Oct Ireland 35-0 Russia, Pool A
09-Oct Scotland 61-0 Russia, Pool A

WORLD RUGBY RANKINGS
Updated 28-October (changes from start of World Cup)

(1)	(+2)	ENGLAND	92.29
(2)	(+2)	SOUTH AFRICA	90.71
(3)	(-1)	NEW ZEALAND	89.92
(4)	(+1)	WALES	87.21
(5)	(-4)	IRELAND	84.45
(6)	(-)	AUSTRALIA	81.90
(7)	(+1)	FRANCE	80.88
(8)	(+2)	JAPAN	79.28
(9)	(-2)	SCOTLAND	79.23
(10)	(+1)	ARGENTINA	78.31