Quarter-Final: England v France

:00:00. > :00:00.England's rugby league, their test is France. The World Cup

:00:00. > :00:09.quarterfinal. See you next time. I buy.

:00:10. > :00:17.Hello, this is the event in the north-west on the BBC that you have

:00:18. > :00:21.to watch this evening. We are live in Wigan with England's Rugby League

:00:22. > :00:25.World Cup campaign at the quarterfinal stage and we very much

:00:26. > :01:06.hope that their journey still has plenty of time to run.

:01:07. > :01:14.And England are finding their form and finding their touch! It is a big

:01:15. > :01:17.evening here at Wigan. England against France, a semifinal place,

:01:18. > :01:24.and the holders is up for grabs at Wembley next Saturday. With me here

:01:25. > :01:29.on BBC Two, three England players. Jamie Peacock, John Wilkin and Earl

:01:30. > :01:35.Crabtree. What kind of three weeks have this England team had so far?

:01:36. > :01:39.It has been up and down because it has been a very interesting one, to

:01:40. > :01:44.say the least, but what has happened if they have gradually gone up and

:01:45. > :01:48.up in my estimation because they have improved as the weeks have gone

:01:49. > :01:52.on and I can only see them getting better. Do you think they have

:01:53. > :01:58.settled down a bit and calm down after what was a slightly hectic

:01:59. > :02:01.build-up and a slightly controversial set of things going

:02:02. > :02:07.on? Are they in the swing of this tournament now things have calmed

:02:08. > :02:10.down? I think so. It was a disrupted start before the tournament,

:02:11. > :02:18.especially that lost to Italy. Maybe a bit of nervousness crept in. Tough

:02:19. > :02:21.against Australia. And then their island performance, which was

:02:22. > :02:28.scratchy but they got the result. -- Ireland. As a fan of England,

:02:29. > :02:34.somebody who has been part of that setup, the Fiji game got me really

:02:35. > :02:40.excited about their chances in this tournament. Steve McNamara is very

:02:41. > :02:46.big on the strength in depth he has got. Do you think these players are

:02:47. > :02:53.playing for semifinal places if they get through? I do and I think they

:02:54. > :02:57.are playing for a semifinal place. I think there's pressure on places and

:02:58. > :03:03.players playing know they have to keep in the side. It is great in the

:03:04. > :03:06.Rugby League that we now have a squad of 24 players who are all good

:03:07. > :03:12.enough to play at the international stage. Probably no team with more

:03:13. > :03:16.strength and depth than the Australians, and they might need to

:03:17. > :03:20.rely on that strength and depth. Their quarterfinal was this one.

:03:21. > :03:24.They thrashed the United States, who are one of the stories in this World

:03:25. > :03:33.Cup, but they were no match for the Australians. But the recurrence of a

:03:34. > :03:41.knee problem, the Slater injury. He is in doubt for their semifinal.

:03:42. > :03:44.Yes. We want to see the star players playing the Star games. But they

:03:45. > :03:49.have two fantastic fullbacks and that won't trouble Australia. They

:03:50. > :03:54.hold such a great, fantastic team and they have got quality all over

:03:55. > :04:02.the side. They won't be any ripple through that camp from the potential

:04:03. > :04:06.injury? Some of the best players in the world will be replacing him and

:04:07. > :04:12.everybody would love to see them as well. No matter who you see there,

:04:13. > :04:15.you are going to see a special player and they will produce

:04:16. > :04:20.something within the game you will find amazing. If you were watching

:04:21. > :04:25.us on the Red Button before, you might think we look nervous because

:04:26. > :04:30.a former team mate has suggested he is going to launch a ball at his

:04:31. > :04:35.team-mate during the warm up! Fortunately, they are just doing

:04:36. > :04:43.tackle practice and there is no ball near him. Oh, my word! He has picked

:04:44. > :04:52.one up! Ha-ha! That was that you! That wasn't at us! He is after me

:04:53. > :04:59.because I said he had an irregularly shaped head! It is getting ever

:05:00. > :05:07.closer so let's just confirm what happened in the quarterfinals.

:05:08. > :05:14.Tomorrow you have some other against Fiji and tonight it is all about

:05:15. > :05:23.England against France. -- you have some hour. Anything you want to see

:05:24. > :05:30.you can see on the BBC sport website. Here are the French players

:05:31. > :05:34.warming up. They are not trying to intimidate us on the touchline,

:05:35. > :05:52.fortunately! This is how their World Cup has gone so far.

:05:53. > :06:14.The French have won this game by a single point!

:06:15. > :06:48.They've had a very odd tournament so far, haven't they, Jamie? In fact,

:06:49. > :06:55.they were one kick from the post away from not being in this

:06:56. > :06:58.quarterfinal? They normally play well against England so expect to

:06:59. > :07:09.see them play well today. We have some good players. They are bussed,

:07:10. > :07:16.abrasive, Casty, Elima. They had to be robust on Monday night when they

:07:17. > :07:22.got battered? They did, and some of the hits that went out one the best.

:07:23. > :07:24.As we were saying before, little bit disappointed but they had a really

:07:25. > :07:28.tough game and I was impressed with the opportunities they did create,

:07:29. > :07:32.but unfortunately they could normally go and finish them. So if

:07:33. > :07:35.we see a few more of those tonight and maybe a couple more tries, but

:07:36. > :07:44.England, you would expect them to be far too strong. Their big problem,

:07:45. > :07:48.France, has been execution. They have done some of the tough stuff

:07:49. > :07:52.really well but when it has come to crossing the line, they have been

:07:53. > :07:56.the worst out of the eight teams. They need to score between 20 and 30

:07:57. > :08:00.points to have a chance against England. I think England will score

:08:01. > :08:04.a good amount today and that is where the problem is. I can't see

:08:05. > :08:13.France scoring that amount of points. Let's find out about the

:08:14. > :08:17.game according to Robbie. There are two things stopping England from

:08:18. > :08:23.getting through to next week's semifinal against New Zealand, and

:08:24. > :08:28.that is 80 minutes of rugby and these guys coming in for their team

:08:29. > :08:35.talk. They have some real talent, the French international Rugby

:08:36. > :08:43.League team. Number one, their fullback, Escare, he is absolutely

:08:44. > :08:49.brilliant. England will need to make sure they get a solid, deep line,

:08:50. > :08:56.otherwise he will pull them back. And then the out and out star, their

:08:57. > :09:01.boss. He knows what to do and can position the players all around the

:09:02. > :09:04.field and has a world-class kicking game, and if he gets into the right

:09:05. > :09:15.frame of mind, he will be able to pull out the big ones here two. --

:09:16. > :09:20.here, too. So those will be the two French international is to keep your

:09:21. > :09:27.eye on. And I thought the footwork to keep your eye on tonight was on

:09:28. > :09:32.Strictly! Knowing their combination, that can only benefit

:09:33. > :09:38.them from a unity point of view? Yes. They understand each other but

:09:39. > :09:41.that can only take you so far. They are missing some big players and

:09:42. > :09:44.some really pivotal positions, which is something we all talked about

:09:45. > :09:50.before. They really need something else there for me. I think they will

:09:51. > :09:55.give it a good go. I don't think they've got enough for a strong

:09:56. > :10:01.England side. The coaches have been talking to us.

:10:02. > :10:07.Usage in the week it would be hard to pick this 17 and you seem to have

:10:08. > :10:10.shuffled the pack. -- you said. I think Chris Hill was outstanding

:10:11. > :10:15.last week and he has been most of the tournament. Again, we have got

:10:16. > :10:18.very good players we can play in different positions and this is the

:10:19. > :10:32.best way for us to go in this game tonight. Morgan has been very busy

:10:33. > :10:38.for us in the World Cup and we would like to see him get a bit more of

:10:39. > :10:44.the ball tonight. Is he supporting France or England? He is coming on

:10:45. > :10:49.with his French! He hangs around the players! So he is pumped and I'm

:10:50. > :10:56.waiting for him to sing the anthem! How wary you of the French? Very.

:10:57. > :11:01.They have a great squad and they have the added benefit of knowing

:11:02. > :11:04.each other inside out, so we are very, very wary of the performance

:11:05. > :11:11.France could produce and we expect them to be very good tonight. Good

:11:12. > :11:16.luck. Thank you. Could this be quite weird for

:11:17. > :11:25.Richard this evening? I think he looks like he is enjoying himself! I

:11:26. > :11:33.mean, when here's the national anthems, that must be a very strange

:11:34. > :11:38.thing. Coaching now is a worldwide global thing. Moving people is so

:11:39. > :11:42.common I don't think it will feel that strange. What we have to be

:11:43. > :11:48.careful of is too critical of the French. All of the teams in France

:11:49. > :11:51.over the last ten years, they have really come on and there is some

:11:52. > :11:55.great work internationally. If anything, we are being slightly

:11:56. > :11:58.critical of the French performance because we have an increased

:11:59. > :12:02.expectation of how they should do in this tournament. They have come a

:12:03. > :12:06.long way and the game in France is really strong and really growing.

:12:07. > :12:09.Let's move on from the French and talk about England, because we have

:12:10. > :12:13.all been talking about various aspects of their play and you have

:12:14. > :12:22.been looking at their vulnerability in certain areas? Yes. We see the

:12:23. > :12:27.player isolated here with too much space around him and it results in a

:12:28. > :12:32.try for Australia. They can't then help the defender. It comes to the

:12:33. > :12:39.line and we have highlighted him again. Kallum Watkins here is

:12:40. > :12:44.worried by the speed of Billy Slater and he take that step outwards,

:12:45. > :12:49.which means he can't get in to help Kevin Sinfield with the tackle. That

:12:50. > :12:53.is right and we are consistently seeing this play against England. We

:12:54. > :12:58.can see here again, calibre tens, too much space with runners prepared

:12:59. > :13:01.to run at him to make him make a decision. Again, Ben Westwood gets

:13:02. > :13:16.attracted into much. Briscoe is out with a guy at the

:13:17. > :13:21.back. For England to progress, this is an area they need to fix up.

:13:22. > :13:25.France will put this play onto night and if they get through, New Zealand

:13:26. > :13:30.will put that play on, and so England need to work as a team. It

:13:31. > :13:41.is not down to the individuals. As a team, they need to fix it. In

:13:42. > :13:48.professional sport, we will highlight a player and attack it.

:13:49. > :14:00.For me, the second half was great. We could best part of the field.

:14:01. > :14:08.This play grows across the front to Hill, and it just results in space

:14:09. > :14:14.for Ferris. A lot of players are about isolating that defender.

:14:15. > :14:28.Again, we see Sinfield being really direct. A fuse short passes and it

:14:29. > :14:38.looks like an expansive try. And he's got real power as well. This is

:14:39. > :14:51.great for me. He has also got this Blair about him. We can see he is

:14:52. > :14:57.enjoying himself. He is crucial to England's chances, contributing

:14:58. > :15:02.heavily to the next three games. Land of Hope and Glory rings out.

:15:03. > :15:07.Going back to the vulnerability thing, does it concern you that they

:15:08. > :15:11.were vulnerable against Australia, seemed to sort it out against

:15:12. > :15:18.Ireland, but reappeared against Fiji? Sometimes, it is a little bit

:15:19. > :15:23.of a concern, but the England bowlers will put it right. Now, it

:15:24. > :15:26.will be addressed again and they make sure they get it right, but

:15:27. > :15:34.they can't make excuses all the time. Let's go back to what we were

:15:35. > :15:40.talking about before James Graham was picking on all four of us! The

:15:41. > :15:44.reason is the man in the middle here. This tournament has reunited a

:15:45. > :15:55.couple of old friends and has brought us a whole load of trouble.

:15:56. > :16:01.We've been friends since we were ten, 11 years old. You know what

:16:02. > :16:05.they are going to do, you know they're little traits. We can read

:16:06. > :16:17.each other and pre-empt what the other will do.

:16:18. > :16:25.I have played for most of my life, from a young kid to professional

:16:26. > :16:32.together. Routine is a lot different. Sun cream every day,

:16:33. > :16:41.hat, sunglasses. I am probably a bit more diplomatic. I think he

:16:42. > :16:47.genuinely has some OCD problems! The Scouse accent now has dropped a

:16:48. > :16:51.little bit, if you ever see words here and there, but still the same

:16:52. > :16:59.lad. A big softy at times, but he has that temper about him as well.

:17:00. > :17:05.He can easily switch. I have not played with James for two years. You

:17:06. > :17:17.instantly go back into that same old, when we were in our early 20s,

:17:18. > :17:24.mucking around together. A couple of good victories against Ireland and

:17:25. > :17:29.Fiji. And hopefully, we can keep on building that momentum, going into

:17:30. > :17:36.this knockout phase of the tournament. France are a very good

:17:37. > :17:41.team. We know what to expect. They are very physical as well. But we

:17:42. > :17:47.are confident that if we can perform well, we can go far in this

:17:48. > :17:51.competition. Did you enjoy the physicality of the Fiji game? I

:17:52. > :18:00.don't know about enjoy, if that's the right word. Knowing James Graham

:18:01. > :18:09.very well, he's got quite a big head and he's quite top-heavy! He would

:18:10. > :18:14.say that, wouldn't he? He's got that avenue now way you can use the media

:18:15. > :18:21.to slate his mate! He'd better watch out. There might be a few balls

:18:22. > :18:28.coming his way this week. Keep an eye out for that. And we don't very

:18:29. > :18:34.much keep an eye out for that. We were worried above would come away

:18:35. > :18:41.from James Graham! When he left, given how close those two are, how

:18:42. > :18:47.did it affect him? They are both very good friends. When James Graham

:18:48. > :18:51.left, you left a big hole in our dressing room because he's such a

:18:52. > :18:55.big personality in such a big friend of everyone in the team. He's

:18:56. > :19:00.aggressive and confrontational, but that's why everybody loves him. He

:19:01. > :19:06.asks the awkward questions are awkward times. They are exact

:19:07. > :19:13.opposite people but complement each other so well on the field. Truck

:19:14. > :19:20.and trailer! What's James Graham liked to play against? He is so

:19:21. > :19:24.aggressive, but at the same time, a very smart player. You don't know

:19:25. > :19:29.whether he would pass keep the ball himself, but he always makes the

:19:30. > :19:35.right decisions. I thought you might get a bit of a twine, but I still

:19:36. > :19:42.can't understand him, so he's doing all right. Definitely no Aussie

:19:43. > :19:47.twang there! I want to know where you guys have come from when he was

:19:48. > :20:00.younger. Feel sorry for him. He's an exceptional player and a world-class

:20:01. > :20:05.player. He's infusing rustic, aggressive in the middle,

:20:06. > :20:14.confrontational. I think Tomkins will have a big game tonight as

:20:15. > :20:20.well. Are you reading my script! ? We spoke about the French inability

:20:21. > :20:26.to score points in this tournament. For me, one of the crucial parts of

:20:27. > :20:33.the French team. On the England teams, we know all about Tomkins. 21

:20:34. > :20:36.appearances in Super League this year. 23 tries, a huge number of

:20:37. > :21:02.tries. Esquire has been covered in this

:21:03. > :21:14.World Cup, but you feel as if there is more to come from him. I think,

:21:15. > :21:21.one of his best things is the stop starting. He is a player England

:21:22. > :21:27.will have to watch out for. The French players are getting ready to

:21:28. > :21:32.leave the dressing room. As far as Tomkins is concerned, this will be

:21:33. > :21:37.his final appearance at this stadium, a stadium that has meant so

:21:38. > :21:44.much to him. I think it's a fantastic achievement for him. I

:21:45. > :21:48.think it will be a fantastic occasion for him in a great

:21:49. > :21:53.sendoff. The teams are in the tunnel. They are going through

:21:54. > :22:04.last-minute thoughts and waiting for England to arrive in the tunnel as

:22:05. > :22:11.well. What game are you expecting? England's class will show through.

:22:12. > :22:15.New Zealand and Australia have put out markers and have played really

:22:16. > :22:21.well. England will be looking to put in a really ruthless performance.

:22:22. > :22:24.The psychology of it is really interesting. They both got through

:22:25. > :22:34.to the next round, full of confidence. Look at those eyes of

:22:35. > :22:39.Sinfield! That is one focused man. He's such a professional in what he

:22:40. > :22:42.does in a great athlete. We've talked a lot about the French and

:22:43. > :22:48.what threat they pose, but it's all about England now. It's about the

:22:49. > :22:57.marching forward and putting in a massive performance. Listen to the

:22:58. > :23:04.Nicaea in the stadium. 22,500 fans are here as the fireworks go off

:23:05. > :23:22.behind us. Both sets of players come out. Listen to this noise! As the

:23:23. > :23:28.fireworks continued to go off, a welcome heat on what is a rather

:23:29. > :23:29.chilly night. Don't stand too close otherwise your hairspray will go up

:23:30. > :25:32.in flames! # God save our gracious Queen. #

:25:33. > :25:45.Long live our noble Queen. # God save the Queen. # Send her

:25:46. > :25:49.victorious, Happy and glorious, Long to reign over us: God save the

:25:50. > :26:03.Queen. Quarter final time at the Rugby

:26:04. > :26:26.league World Cup. And your commentary team here, Brian

:26:27. > :26:40.Noble and Dave Woods. Today, the examination is French.

:26:41. > :26:49.Let's see if they've done their homework properly after the verdict

:26:50. > :26:54.last week, achieving expectations. The local hero, Charlie, returning

:26:55. > :27:03.to the wing. Sam Burgess into the back three. James Roby on the bench.

:27:04. > :27:20.And the French have made one or two changes, too. World Cup debuts for

:27:21. > :27:24.Olivier Elima. It is a national rivalry separated by a channel.

:27:25. > :27:36.England will be hoping it is more like a gulf in class here tonight.

:27:37. > :27:42.Beware the French! Indeed. It is a big ask tonight for the French but I

:27:43. > :27:45.think they will try to make this game physical. England need to keep

:27:46. > :27:55.their composure and do all the things right. As we say as coaches.

:27:56. > :28:03.Disconcertingly, there was a little disco dance to the "eat, sleep Rugby

:28:04. > :28:05.League" ! And it is going to be James Graham with the first chance

:28:06. > :28:12.to drive it back, England looking to set a platform. Michael McIlorum is

:28:13. > :28:15.the man at dummy half. An interesting selection. James Roby

:28:16. > :28:19.coming into the tournament would have been a lot of people's first

:28:20. > :28:27.choice. Is this a one-off or do you think it is the way it is going? I

:28:28. > :28:30.think he is a tough kid and when you get test matches or qualifiers, you

:28:31. > :28:37.need that kind of solid standard that he will give you and it gives

:28:38. > :28:42.the chance to James Roby, who has had a stop start season, remember,

:28:43. > :28:49.to come off the bench and create some impact. Kevin Sinfield puts it

:28:50. > :28:55.high. A bit of spin on the ball as it comes down as well.

:28:56. > :29:08.A little dangerous! Only the recovering Tompkins can recover in

:29:09. > :29:17.lump's blushes there! England got lucky there. Not the best bounce by

:29:18. > :29:25.Sinfield. And a free start for Raguin. The flinch -- French with a

:29:26. > :29:33.platform and they've got to get in there early. What was going on for

:29:34. > :29:40.the French?! Nobody there for ages! Has somebody forgotten to start the

:29:41. > :29:48.game?! Kane Bentley got an injury a bit earlier and he has been carried

:29:49. > :29:54.off, so Pelissier has come on for a much earlier intervention. So, both

:29:55. > :29:58.sides a little disconcerted in the early stages. England a little

:29:59. > :30:06.ragged. Allowing the French some possession and the French, having

:30:07. > :30:11.lost their dummy half earlier. It was a loss but obviously somebody

:30:12. > :30:21.has to get the dummy half. Bentley was missing. We do have Eloi

:30:22. > :30:32.Pelissier here and he provides a lot of fear. 48 tackles against Samoa

:30:33. > :30:38.last week! He's had a rest already coming on after two because he only

:30:39. > :30:47.has to do 78 now. But that is a change now Bentley is out injured.

:30:48. > :30:54.First appearance in the World Cup for Damien Cardace. And they have a

:30:55. > :30:59.penalty. So, what's the news on Kane Bentley? He has pulled his left calf

:31:00. > :31:05.muscle and it is pretty doubtful, they reckon, that he will come back

:31:06. > :31:12.on this game -- in this game, so a big loss early on for France. No

:31:13. > :31:17.problems with the replacement in Pelissier but that is one of the

:31:18. > :31:24.interchanges. The French won't worry about that at the moment. They will

:31:25. > :31:34.be worrying about staying up this end of the field. We remember this

:31:35. > :31:44.man when he was a teenager coming through. Bosc tries to get the ball

:31:45. > :31:52.away and having to work hard here at the moment, England. He gets the

:31:53. > :31:59.pass away to reach for the line! He is over the line, Duport! He has the

:32:00. > :32:09.try! The French, the French with the shock start here! Duport schools!

:32:10. > :32:14.This wasn't in the script! He has given a great start but it might be

:32:15. > :32:21.a great finish. Definitely not in the script. It looks like he has a

:32:22. > :32:28.serious injury here. Well, he tried to push himself over the line. He

:32:29. > :32:34.has obviously heard that left arm. A great off-load there. From Raguin.

:32:35. > :32:40.Gets his arms free. He still has to take three England defenders over

:32:41. > :32:51.the line. He needs to do a bit better here, stop the ball. Great

:32:52. > :32:55.push from Vincent Duport. Well, England got a wake-up call before

:32:56. > :32:59.the tournament began when they were beaten by Italy in that warm up game

:33:00. > :33:03.and you would have thought the experience of that day would put

:33:04. > :33:08.them off any kind of resting on their laurels ahead of this match.

:33:09. > :33:09.And this early school will certainly spark an English revival, you would

:33:10. > :33:28.have thought. -- early scoring. These wet sponges work well these

:33:29. > :33:32.days! He was a goner, wasn't he? A great start from the French, you

:33:33. > :33:41.have to say. Challenging the England defence. Yes. And that early try.

:33:42. > :33:44.And from a neutral point of view, certainly from a French point of

:33:45. > :33:54.view, that is what the French needed.

:33:55. > :34:02.Thomas Bosc with an attempt here to turn the four into six. He has been

:34:03. > :34:06.the most consistent performer for the French team in the last few

:34:07. > :34:12.years. The kick this time is good. It has gone between those two

:34:13. > :34:17.uprights, so what a start for France here, leading already by 6-0. A

:34:18. > :34:26.cracking start and a strong finish from two players. There's the ball

:34:27. > :34:35.clearly down from Vincent Duport. Both players attracted three England

:34:36. > :34:41.defenders and got them down. The French coach has his perfect start

:34:42. > :34:53.for tonight. The French get another penalty here. My word, this man is

:34:54. > :35:01.making his presence felt. A bit of a scrappy start. The French have

:35:02. > :35:04.muscled up and restricted territory. Well, England certainly haven't

:35:05. > :35:20.settled but the French have and they are playing with confidence. Cassidy

:35:21. > :35:23.is a great player. -- Casty. Duport is ten metres inside there. You can

:35:24. > :35:28.see the calf muscle of Kane Bentley, or at least the ice packing

:35:29. > :35:44.around it. And France are buzzing here just at the moment.

:35:45. > :35:53.It takes a response by two more England defenders to make sure the

:35:54. > :35:58.French stopped. And he almost develops that a little further. This

:35:59. > :36:03.is the final tackle. Taking easily enough by Sam Burgess and England

:36:04. > :36:08.just survive another spell of pressure and get a penalty as well.

:36:09. > :36:13.Deservedly. The French are going to try to hang on to the English here.

:36:14. > :36:22.A dinky kick from Thomas Bosc on the back was trying to catch England out

:36:23. > :36:30.but we have seen his prowess and Cudjoe was alert to that. England

:36:31. > :36:33.have beaten France on the last 15 occasions they have met them, just

:36:34. > :36:43.to put this into context. The last time France got a win, a low scoring

:36:44. > :36:46.game. Did you play in that? No. 1981, France beat England. And that

:36:47. > :36:58.was a huge shock then, a big surprise. I came after 81. 82.

:36:59. > :36:59.England looking to settle the ship a little bit. And Burgess is the man

:37:00. > :37:15.who can turn momentum on its head. The pass back to Tompkins, who has

:37:16. > :37:20.held onto it, and he, in turn, is grabbed by a couple of French

:37:21. > :37:25.defenders. Sinfield testing the corner and Hall has taken it. But

:37:26. > :37:29.the defence doing just enough to make sure he doesn't reach the

:37:30. > :37:40.line. A very frustrated Ryan Hall but not a bad place at all for the

:37:41. > :37:52.ball. Not bad at all. I'd think it was Greenshields underneath. -- I.

:37:53. > :38:00.That is good from the England defence. Pushing the French back a

:38:01. > :38:04.stride or two, not letting them get any respite from within their own 20

:38:05. > :38:08.metres here. If they want their yards, they are going to have to

:38:09. > :38:12.fight for it or take a gamble. And this is the best position England

:38:13. > :38:18.have had so far in the early stages of this game. Westwood with the

:38:19. > :38:25.push. England with a bit of thrust now.

:38:26. > :38:39.There are only French players around as Chris Hill flicks it back.

:38:40. > :38:44.Olivier Elima can get under your skin! Loves to raise the

:38:45. > :38:48.temperature. Don't be distracted by him. He will get under your skin and

:38:49. > :38:55.probably cause a bit of fisticuffs here and there.

:38:56. > :39:16.I think this is going to be an England feed. So, a chance here for

:39:17. > :39:35.England again. A standing start and it is flicked

:39:36. > :39:38.back. Looking for the space! Josh Charnley with the try and how many

:39:39. > :39:47.times has that happened this season?! Charnley with a not so

:39:48. > :39:53.simple finish! They make the most of it! And England are back! Back in

:39:54. > :40:05.the contest again. As if they were ever out of it!

:40:06. > :40:11.Well, there's the knock-on from the French so that is why England get

:40:12. > :40:18.ahead and free from the scrum. A bit of pitter patter and then straight

:40:19. > :40:27.from the scrum, they think he is going to run three out the back.

:40:28. > :40:32.Damien Cardace didn't need to come through but a lovely flick past from

:40:33. > :40:42.Sam Tomkins. He thinks he's going to get round. Charnley stays on the

:40:43. > :40:49.line and a good finisher. An amazing season at Wigan this year, Charnley.

:40:50. > :40:55.Only eight games in which he failed to score a try! Which is

:40:56. > :41:02.astonishing. You would guess without knowing the hard facts at those 43

:41:03. > :41:11.tries that 80% or so would involve him at some point.

:41:12. > :41:26.Sinfield, the England skipper, just settling himself and hooking it

:41:27. > :41:36.towards there. And England are back level at six points apiece. James

:41:37. > :41:41.Graham, out the back to Sinfield. Tomkins skips across three defenders

:41:42. > :41:52.and attract the attentions of Cardace. Cardace wasn't in the

:41:53. > :41:58.original squad. He is only in there because of one of two injuries in

:41:59. > :42:00.the French camp. His World Cup debut. Already, you've got things to

:42:01. > :42:33.think about. They've gone through five tackles

:42:34. > :42:44.but just about reached the halfway line here. Here comes Escare, a man

:42:45. > :42:52.with twinkle toes, isn't he? He can scare any defence. You can have as

:42:53. > :42:59.many twinkle toes as you want. When the defences that determined, he's

:43:00. > :43:10.got to find some speed in the ball. A good off-loaded! Gained the French

:43:11. > :43:16.an extra ten hands -- ten yards or so. Really good hands. The centre

:43:17. > :43:36.does well, makes the tackle. Good one and a pick-up from Sam

:43:37. > :43:46.Tomkins. He has another go. He's a handful. France should send up the

:43:47. > :43:56.amber flares when Sam Tomkins gets the ball! I am sure there is thought

:43:57. > :43:59.that he might be the one that to handle them. There has to be an

:44:00. > :44:25.aspect of that. And Greenshields just stopping

:44:26. > :44:39.holdall. -- Hall. Smart play from him.

:44:40. > :44:47.At the moment, there have been fingertips between Hall scoring a

:44:48. > :45:10.try and the French defending those two kicks. He provided deep threat.

:45:11. > :45:17.I think he was looking for the try line, and not overly disappointed

:45:18. > :45:26.when the girl -- when the ball goes out there and gives England a 20

:45:27. > :45:27.metre start. There probably is a little element of glee in seeing

:45:28. > :46:05.that. And a high one for Pelissier a. He's

:46:06. > :46:15.trying to dish out some of his own retribution.

:46:16. > :46:32.I think Escare comes across. Not the tallest of players, but certainly

:46:33. > :46:42.worked around the melon there! The kid has come off from his spell on

:46:43. > :46:46.the try line is. The French have been working hard, and they've got a

:46:47. > :46:58.lot of work to do because England are rolling forward through Graham.

:46:59. > :47:08.Chase is enjoying himself, isn't he? Going no further than Westwood

:47:09. > :47:27.because the French defenders are quickly in his face.

:47:28. > :47:40.The referee gives the try. That kind of space, in that position, he is no

:47:41. > :47:56.ordinary winger, he no ordinary finisher.

:47:57. > :48:05.Chase with the initial break. And there's the penalty that leads to

:48:06. > :48:12.the field position, and its purse should -- and its push and shove.

:48:13. > :48:21.Again, Greenshields trying to stop the play. Find the horrific long

:48:22. > :48:31.pass to Ryan Hall. Great ball, great decision.

:48:32. > :48:45.From our anger, it looks as though that leg was trailing a little bit.

:48:46. > :48:54.You just sends a little bed of settling down. A big rout -- crowd

:48:55. > :49:01.here tonight. More or less full. Everybody is off to Wembley next

:49:02. > :49:16.week. A job to be done here. England have two slightly timid, after a

:49:17. > :49:30.slightly shaky start. Swings in. 12 - six, England lead. A little bit of

:49:31. > :49:37.a surprising start to the game. The birds have slowly got back into it

:49:38. > :49:45.now. You do send a team settling down. Click long, build pressure and

:49:46. > :50:00.things will be fine. James Graham can do it all. He could

:50:01. > :50:07.do the tough stuff down the middle and the real subtle stuff as well. A

:50:08. > :50:15.really good footballer. He set a platform for everybody else. They've

:50:16. > :50:21.got a good team, England. Hill is also added to the mix. Loc London is

:50:22. > :50:38.also added to the mix. What have you made in the first

:50:39. > :50:42.quarter of this game? I have got to agree with Gareth. Other than the

:50:43. > :50:49.opening five minutes, I'm really impressed with the England patients.

:50:50. > :50:54.When it comes to ballplaying, everybody is fitting into their sets

:50:55. > :51:04.really nicely. Creating space on the edges. I am really impressed with

:51:05. > :51:05.England's patients. There is a majority about this performance for

:51:06. > :51:39.England tonight. The engine that purrs behind, that

:51:40. > :51:46.big England front line. But it's Chase at dummy half this time.

:51:47. > :52:04.Pelissier did just enough in defence. England penalty.

:52:05. > :52:15.They are taking a few strides back here. Six tackles still to go. And

:52:16. > :52:26.in this position, you would expect an England try here, wouldn't you?

:52:27. > :52:31.And a bit of crossing goes on. If you put money on England scoring

:52:32. > :52:48.again, you just lost! The French should get the penalty.

:52:49. > :53:02.So, the French looking to show their spirit here. Great start for them.

:53:03. > :53:10.They led 6-0 in the opening few minutes. But England have felt their

:53:11. > :53:20.way back, chipped away at French lead. It sounds strange for me to

:53:21. > :53:29.say this, but you can't do that here. What I'm probably saying here

:53:30. > :53:34.is that he needs to catch that ball. The French, particularly,

:53:35. > :53:35.cannot drop the ball in this part of the field because England's

:53:36. > :53:54.attacking prowess is too good. Ryan Hall is the only man on the

:53:55. > :54:05.left, so it's pretty obvious it's going right.

:54:06. > :54:14.Momentum building up here for England again. It went backwards.

:54:15. > :54:23.The referee says play on. And it's been stolen. A L will complain it

:54:24. > :54:25.was a one-on-one tackle. It's pointless for him to complain,

:54:26. > :54:36.because the reference made his mind up. England taking up a position

:54:37. > :54:54.again. Just under 20 minutes played, and

:54:55. > :55:09.Roby is occupying the ball. Another finish! Boy, it's simple! A big

:55:10. > :55:24.smile on his face. Another one for England. 16-6 now.

:55:25. > :55:37.Well done, England. Here's the incident previously. That's not,

:55:38. > :55:43.actually. That's play on. He's saying the attack was complete and

:55:44. > :55:52.then he took the ball. It's Watkins that skips out, and someone has to

:55:53. > :56:06.have a word with Cardace. Highlighted the fact that its

:56:07. > :56:11.greyhounds from Watkins. Good skill. A fantastic winger and finisher, but

:56:12. > :56:23.a lot of the tries he scores goes on on the inside. You guide grump on

:56:24. > :56:27.you, haven't you? ! He's a fantastic player and a fantastic finisher, but

:56:28. > :56:45.a lot of work goes on on the inside. You are going to have to live with

:56:46. > :56:54.that now! You live locally, don't you? Going out to get your milk and

:56:55. > :57:02.bread. He just dropped out of the defenders there. Got close. Just

:57:03. > :57:09.catch and pass. We could do that! Yeah!

:57:10. > :57:15.England, well, they can feel a lot more comfortable now and enjoy

:57:16. > :57:19.themselves and develop into this game and work on it now as a

:57:20. > :57:23.platform for next week and potentially the week after.

:57:24. > :57:30.Definitely. They need the blueprint for next week. Could be a night for

:57:31. > :57:44.England to fill their boots. Graham offering the ball on the

:57:45. > :57:59.inside to Tompkins. A wow of a game for me. Ryan Hall gets his second

:58:00. > :58:05.try of the night! They are having a party ya at the stadium! -- a party

:58:06. > :58:33.tonight at! Well, put this down to James Graham.

:58:34. > :58:40.The truck, the trailer, then Burgess, then Cudjoe... The James

:58:41. > :58:46.Graham Carrie and a quick play of the ball and that is what goes after

:58:47. > :58:50.a James Graham carry. The two friends we had arguing at the top of

:58:51. > :58:56.the show! Ryan Hall, it is just another one of those. That is what

:58:57. > :59:04.you want and England have had 20 of those. They could put anyone on the

:59:05. > :59:11.winter night, couldn't they? Other than you and me, probably! Well, New

:59:12. > :59:15.Zealand and Australia have laid out the template, haven't they, in these

:59:16. > :59:20.quarterfinals? The opposition, with all due respect, is there to be

:59:21. > :59:30.beaten. But how do you do it? Show us what you've got! Here, England

:59:31. > :59:36.doing exactly the same against the French, just like Australia did to

:59:37. > :59:45.the USA this afternoon. England lead and they are playing with a smile on

:59:46. > :59:50.their face. We will see the James Graham carry again. The offload...

:59:51. > :59:58.And then an easy decision for Cudjoe to make to give Ryan Hall his score.

:59:59. > :00:02.Good play, England. Ryan Hall has now scored eight tries in this

:00:03. > :00:07.tournament. The French as a whole have scored three. He has scored

:00:08. > :00:17.five more than the collective French nation! And they've given a few

:00:18. > :00:21.penalties away, the French. Dropped a few balls. So they can't afford

:00:22. > :00:27.that and I'd think there are good enough team to be able to get away

:00:28. > :00:35.with that. -- and I don't think they are good enough. James Graham just

:00:36. > :00:47.wants a bit more here. Just lost his footing as he tried to change your

:00:48. > :00:51.action. -- change direction. England are trying to make it even more

:00:52. > :00:58.awkward with their chasing. Good kick chase from England. You want to

:00:59. > :01:09.get back that pendulum, tick tock, tick tock, get the rhythm. It is

:01:10. > :01:21.starting to come for them. One of those things that goes tick tock,

:01:22. > :01:24.tick tock. A-bomb, I suppose! The French have only made it to the 40

:01:25. > :01:30.metre mark now and they are going to have to get the kick away, and they

:01:31. > :01:32.do, and not a bad one, actually. An awkward one which Tompkins is

:01:33. > :01:42.willing to take a gamble with and keeps it in play. A brilliant kick

:01:43. > :01:52.from the boss. The back of England now. Ryan Hall tracking towards his

:01:53. > :02:01.left-hand side but the pass is forward. It was forward. And that is

:02:02. > :02:06.the temptation against a team that has a bit of a fractured line. You

:02:07. > :02:16.see an opportunity and a bit of space and the temptation is to play.

:02:17. > :02:27.A good opportunity on the fringe. Great play. A great attempt from the

:02:28. > :02:33.man who is not frightened of nailing that with Thomas Bosc. England in

:02:34. > :02:46.control but having to defend the set here. A false start to the scrum. He

:02:47. > :02:52.says, put it in again. Here it comes. So, England to be tested here

:02:53. > :03:03.inside their 20. At least that is the hope of the French.

:03:04. > :03:11.England's line is looking strong enough at the moment. Switching left

:03:12. > :03:19.again. And it is Greenshields who is across! A dive for the line! Just

:03:20. > :03:25.held short! Great scramble defence from England. Just couldn't quite

:03:26. > :03:37.finished there. Two more tackles to go. England holding firm.

:03:38. > :03:48.A really testing run again from Raguin and a great response from

:03:49. > :03:53.England's defences. They get the ball back again. Yes, great decision

:03:54. > :03:56.on the line again. We'll say we are getting ready for next week but they

:03:57. > :04:14.are going to have a whole lot more then. Up to the task at this stage.

:04:15. > :04:23.The French coach with some concerns, no doubt, at the moment. They gave

:04:24. > :04:27.it away by the fact that that was a forward pass and how far he had to

:04:28. > :04:41.go. A bit of a miscue gives England won one or two more problems. Once

:04:42. > :04:43.again, great shape, great idea and great play but then they need to

:04:44. > :05:05.execute the skill. Six tackles to go in this set. The

:05:06. > :05:14.referee is demanding a bit more tidiness from the scrum.

:05:15. > :05:24.Remi Casty took it forward and certainly asked questions of the

:05:25. > :05:26.defence. But down he goes and Pelissier picks it up. It looked

:05:27. > :05:52.like a second thought, that. Down the blindside they go! So here

:05:53. > :05:55.comes the last attempt now. A little chip this time over the top and the

:05:56. > :06:06.hand goes up from Remi Chase. The French have thrown it away and

:06:07. > :06:13.here is an interesting call. The referee has said, no advantage taken

:06:14. > :06:18.there. There would have been no question earlier this year of it

:06:19. > :06:27.being a French head and feet but the international rules, not quite the

:06:28. > :06:34.same. That is the rule. Had they taken advantage, you are right,

:06:35. > :06:35.David, and in the Super League it would have been, play on, have a

:06:36. > :06:55.crack. A slow play of the ball, a very slow

:06:56. > :06:58.play. Three England defender is up and meeting the Frenchman.

:06:59. > :07:03.England's defence showing no sign of creaking at the moment. And

:07:04. > :07:08.Greenshields has this roaming commission here tonight, as he

:07:09. > :07:13.creeps up all over the place. A good flick away after it was caught in

:07:14. > :07:25.possession. And they are going no further than that.

:07:26. > :07:33.Did he come from the field of play, Charnley? He was tackled in the air

:07:34. > :07:39.anyway so a penalty for England. Was he tackled in the air here? That is

:07:40. > :07:46.what the rest is saying. Let's have a look. Yes. Tackled in the air,

:07:47. > :08:07.dragged him back. George Burgess on from the bench,

:08:08. > :08:16.and, boy, he has had a great competition, hasn't he? The referee

:08:17. > :08:18.says, play on. And now making mincemeat, or threatening to make

:08:19. > :08:28.mincemeat again of the French defence.

:08:29. > :08:55.They can't keep hold! I think even he was confused! Raney chase was

:08:56. > :09:06.trying to drop off. -- Rangi Chase. So, two minutes to the break. I

:09:07. > :09:12.would like them to get to the end of the field a bit more. We have seen

:09:13. > :09:16.some forward passes auto would say is that their defence has been good,

:09:17. > :09:44.from England. A great defensive work-out.

:09:45. > :09:53.Michael Simon had his debut against England three years ago.

:09:54. > :10:03.Tompkins lost the ball in the air! The referee says, another six. So

:10:04. > :10:09.six from here. Not sure we will get that far because there are only 32

:10:10. > :10:14.seconds left to play, but England very relieved to have a ball in

:10:15. > :10:32.their hands in what remains of this first half.

:10:33. > :10:48.Steve McNamara, the England coach. We know his half-time ritual. Not

:10:49. > :10:53.sure all of it will be positive. At the end of the first half, it has

:10:54. > :10:56.been thoroughly engaging and, for the most part, I'm sure England are

:10:57. > :11:03.content with the way things have gone. They have had a field day.

:11:04. > :11:12.Ryan Hall with two tries and Charnley. Once again, they were

:11:13. > :11:25.expecting to win here tonight and you have to say, they are doing what

:11:26. > :11:37.we expected them to do. Everything going well for England right now.

:11:38. > :11:46.Probably could have put them to bed a little bit more than we did in the

:11:47. > :11:54.first half. Pleased to some of the defence we've done, but the first

:11:55. > :11:59.five minutes, a little bit off. The French captain. Great start of the

:12:00. > :12:07.game, but England very good tonight. Obviously, towards the end, we were

:12:08. > :12:19.a bit hard, so we need to control the ball a bit better. In the second

:12:20. > :12:27.half, trying to finish up as of. But we will try and troubled in the

:12:28. > :12:33.second half. Good luck. Oh Loc Lynn said the scoreboard showed the

:12:34. > :12:40.England dominance. The stats were also back up how England performed.

:12:41. > :12:45.Much more possession, more territory and total metres as well, which

:12:46. > :12:53.isn't on those stats, but total metres is double for England what it

:12:54. > :12:59.is for France: 617 for England, 308 for the French. And yet, Jamie

:13:00. > :13:07.Peacock, the French set off like a train. Yeah, the way people saying a

:13:08. > :13:16.national anthem is a bit like a barometer for Howell they will start

:13:17. > :13:24.the game. This is exactly what we said before the game. The space is a

:13:25. > :13:27.lot tighter around Sinfield. But then it's the aftermath, what

:13:28. > :13:35.happens afterwards, the after-shock of it. For me, this is a soft try to

:13:36. > :13:45.concede early on in the game. Three free there. This is the start of a

:13:46. > :13:49.test match. England won't be happy with that. Their defence certainly

:13:50. > :13:56.got better down the right side because the French attacked down

:13:57. > :14:06.England's write a lot. Yes, the defence was fantastic. They made

:14:07. > :14:13.sure they shut everything down. It was just that one of the beginning

:14:14. > :14:16.of the game but that's unacceptable. As far as England are concerned,

:14:17. > :14:25.they are attacking down the right side. Josh is always on the right

:14:26. > :14:29.place at the right time. Committing defenders there, and as you can see,

:14:30. > :14:33.makes it a little bit more narrow there. They don't have enough

:14:34. > :14:40.defenders but they actually do pretty well. It's Cardace on the

:14:41. > :14:45.wing is really disappointing for me. He needs to get in between players

:14:46. > :14:52.to either stop the password tackle. In the end, he does neither. It's

:14:53. > :15:01.just not good enough. And he didn't learn. That's what's disappointing.

:15:02. > :15:06.Instead of making a tackle getting in between, he just dropped his

:15:07. > :15:13.shoulder. It's almost like he's being dictated to. It's too easy.

:15:14. > :15:19.We've talked about Cardace and how he's messed up, but let's be honest,

:15:20. > :15:30.Tompkinson Watkins had really top drawer skill. Really difficult to

:15:31. > :15:36.defend that. Look a bit more at Sam Tomkins for us, then. He's been

:15:37. > :15:42.really heavily involved throughout. He's one of the star players. It's

:15:43. > :15:47.his home ground here, and he certainly looked really comfortable

:15:48. > :15:54.in his surroundings. He's had nine calories and two tackles. The two

:15:55. > :15:58.statistics show how dominant England have been. Sam has had a real

:15:59. > :16:02.influence on a number of the key moments in the game. His involvement

:16:03. > :16:09.in a number of the tries, but not only that, he's been difficult to

:16:10. > :16:13.tackle. For me, Sam has always had a good game. He's picking the ball up,

:16:14. > :16:19.making a nuisance of himself and he looks full of energy tonight. He's

:16:20. > :16:27.usually the first port of contact for England when they do have the

:16:28. > :16:37.ball. We are seeing how Baile thinks he can deal with Tomkins. But Sam

:16:38. > :16:44.has the option to kick or pass and a beautiful ball to roll. Teams think

:16:45. > :16:54.this is the way to stop him, but they'll doesn't back himself. All

:16:55. > :17:01.great fullbacks can do that. Is now working on strength or constant

:17:02. > :17:08.repetitions in training? He's become a better player. He's had to develop

:17:09. > :17:12.a passing game. If he wants to become a complete player, he needs

:17:13. > :17:18.to have a passing game, and he's done that by doing in training.

:17:19. > :17:23.You've got to be adaptable. Everybody is trying to work out how

:17:24. > :17:30.to stop Sam from being effective. If you don't adapt as a player, you

:17:31. > :17:34.will get found out. Sam has shown he has adapted himself. That is

:17:35. > :17:49.crucial. They will be well aware of what his strengths are. Let's look

:17:50. > :17:53.at truck and trailer, shall we? ! James Graham, for me, has been

:17:54. > :17:58.exceptional. He's been the one that has been marching them forward. The

:17:59. > :18:06.inside but there as well to Tomkins, gets forward. The back of that is

:18:07. > :18:15.Roby. He knows those people scattered around. From there, just a

:18:16. > :18:22.good hands job. Ban them. The recognition of the players there.

:18:23. > :18:28.England have consistently warned that situation. They have got up and

:18:29. > :18:33.played the ball quickly. The French defence can't get organised. They

:18:34. > :18:40.are constantly retreating. England have doubled their metres. It is

:18:41. > :18:47.exactly doubled. In rugby league, you always aspire to run the ball

:18:48. > :18:55.quickly. It's exactly double plus one, so I'm aware that's not exactly

:18:56. > :19:00.double! The winners of tonight's semifinal will take on the holders

:19:01. > :19:08.next Saturday, a game you will be able to see live on BBC One. That

:19:09. > :19:12.means New Zealand and this man. The last few years has been an

:19:13. > :19:26.unbelievable dream. A lot of hard work as well. It looks like you've

:19:27. > :19:32.just been lucky. What I have gained out of boxing has helped me

:19:33. > :19:36.tremendously on the field. I couldn't even throw a punch when I

:19:37. > :19:54.first started, and now, I can hold my own. As things stand, we don't

:19:55. > :20:01.want to tempt fate, but England may take on New Zealand. One of the

:20:02. > :20:07.beauties of this Rugby league World Cup is that it has brought lots of

:20:08. > :20:12.grades to the game to this country, none greater than this man. He has

:20:13. > :20:18.been playing -- paying a visit to his old club. It's accurate to say

:20:19. > :20:32.our guest of honour tonight is the biggest name in world rugby league.

:20:33. > :20:46.He's a legend, isn't he? One of the best players I have ever seen. The

:20:47. > :20:53.size, speed. Simply the best. Do you want a drink? I'm here to have a

:20:54. > :20:58.beer, aren't I? What are your memories of your time here?

:20:59. > :21:08.Fantastic. No negatives. All positive. There is only one club I

:21:09. > :21:22.would never play for. I remember one try against Hull KR. Yes, the best

:21:23. > :21:33.pass I received all day. I would have loved to have come back and

:21:34. > :21:42.played here. One player doesn't make a team. For the English audience,

:21:43. > :21:49.you announced just for the English audience, you announced yourself 82

:21:50. > :21:52.draw. I really enjoyed the experience of the 82. And I enjoyed

:21:53. > :21:58.the atmosphere and the social life over here, and it was a pretty easy

:21:59. > :22:08.decision to come back and played for Saints. Still love coming back here.

:22:09. > :22:17.I remember that one shower! 1990, the try at old Trafford is a

:22:18. > :22:21.memorable one. It was relief. This World Cup, what will it do for the

:22:22. > :22:32.legacy in terms of the game? Legacy wise, I feel the game has improved.

:22:33. > :22:42.I think it's been a huge success for the game around the world. So many

:22:43. > :22:46.iconic images there in that piece. We are ready to go for the second

:22:47. > :22:53.half. Don't forget, we are on the red button after 10pm. We want you

:22:54. > :23:02.for words to describe this game. Send them to us.

:23:03. > :23:12.I would like them to clean up and kick the ball long when they have

:23:13. > :23:21.two. They are showing all the signs of talent coming to the fore. 30

:23:22. > :23:25.minutes between England and a semifinal against New Zealand next

:23:26. > :23:33.week. A double-header at Wembley next Saturday. Fiji against Samoa,

:23:34. > :23:38.making up the quarterfinal pairings this weekend. That will be some

:23:39. > :23:42.battle. This might yet be some battle here tonight, if the French

:23:43. > :23:47.can get switched on in the second half. And a penalty and that helps

:23:48. > :23:52.because it takes further downfield. They started the game well enough,

:23:53. > :24:02.the French. Opening try in all of that. But since then, England have

:24:03. > :24:05.taken control. If they can get disciplined, they can be more of a

:24:06. > :24:16.challenging test England a little more. But the middle bit was

:24:17. > :24:26.All-England. Pelissier a has been on since the second minute. A bit of

:24:27. > :24:40.sharpness around that damning opposition as well. Chase knocked

:24:41. > :24:54.on. Came of your hand, Chase, and touched a French player. His boss,

:24:55. > :24:57.head, I think. It was going forward. Just like the start of the first

:24:58. > :25:02.half, the French are getting a little bit of fortune here. But what

:25:03. > :25:10.can they make of it and how well can England repel it? Cardace did not

:25:11. > :25:37.have the best first halves. And knocked on in the end by Escare

:25:38. > :25:42.as he came forward. Just one of those opportunities there. Good

:25:43. > :25:50.work, they create the opportunity here, and then Greenshields and

:25:51. > :25:57.Baile, a chance if he catches it. Switching roles, aren't they? I

:25:58. > :26:09.think Greenshields is playing as an extra pipit.

:26:10. > :26:16.In the half-time team talks, Stepanek tomorrow saying the quality

:26:17. > :26:30.of the sets have to improve. -- Stepanek are saying. -- McNamara

:26:31. > :26:32.saying. Cut out the fundamental errors, play with pride. If we are

:26:33. > :26:49.going to go out, go out on a high. Think Sam is trying to get it free

:26:50. > :26:53.there. George Burgess, who has pushed his England side inside the

:26:54. > :27:11.French territory by a notch or two. Heavy duty defence keeps it in play.

:27:12. > :27:15.James Graham pushing it forward. Tough stuff today by the ginger

:27:16. > :27:25.headed Scouser. Cudjoe again just trying to bludgeon

:27:26. > :27:30.his way through but the referee says it was stolen again. A look of

:27:31. > :27:39.desperation from the French players, who can't believe these decisions

:27:40. > :27:45.going against them. Greenshields had a player that one but didn't really

:27:46. > :27:55.need to. James Graham got there and helped him. Rookie of the year,

:27:56. > :28:08.George Burgess. Just a couple of strides away.

:28:09. > :28:28.You don't see this often! Well done, the French defence!

:28:29. > :28:38.The pickpocket was pickpocketed there! Sam Burgess was driven back

:28:39. > :28:46.20 metres in the tackle. And a smart play. Let's have a look. You suspect

:28:47. > :28:51.the French needed that as well, to get the ball back. They have put

:28:52. > :28:58.themselves under pressure with the penalties they have given away. A

:28:59. > :29:04.sweeping, drizzly rain coming down tonight at the moment in Wigan. For

:29:05. > :29:05.the most part, the fans are English and they are seeing England doing a

:29:06. > :29:19.decent job here tonight. Sinfield looking to see how many

:29:20. > :29:21.troops are back behind the ball, and there are a few of them now. An

:29:22. > :29:38.athletic presence. George Burgess lost to do that,

:29:39. > :29:45.doesn't he? And a quick play of the ball, lots to do that as well. That

:29:46. > :29:57.is the fifth, so one more tackle to go. Ryan Hall is often less! Knocks

:29:58. > :30:07.it back! Play on and his -- it is going to be a try for O'Loughlin. It

:30:08. > :30:20.is the first time tonight we are going to hear from Ben to make this

:30:21. > :30:26.adjudication. We will just pause it when the ball was on the foot... So

:30:27. > :30:34.there we have it. Everybody is onside so we will leave it for now

:30:35. > :30:37.and go on with it. That is fine. That looks like a challenge and it

:30:38. > :30:41.looks like the ball has gone backwards off England but I really

:30:42. > :30:54.need a closer view on that one to adjudicate properly. So, they've

:30:55. > :30:59.gone for the ball... He's got the Palm of his hand, Ryan Hall, and it

:31:00. > :31:06.looks like it has flipped backwards on that angle, going behind him

:31:07. > :31:11.quite clearly on that one. Do we have another from the side? Do we

:31:12. > :31:21.have a side view on that but close in? Is it possible?

:31:22. > :31:29.No problem with the contest there. The ball is flipped backwards. So if

:31:30. > :31:38.we can just roll things on from there, we can get a clear pick-up,

:31:39. > :31:47.which we do. And then if we can just run it on to the grounding. That's

:31:48. > :31:51.OK, that's fine. And then O'Loughlin grounds the ball cleanly. That is a

:31:52. > :32:01.try. COMMENTATOR: So, no problem is, no

:32:02. > :32:08.concerns for England in the end and it will be a fifth try of the night

:32:09. > :32:20.for them. This smooth engine purrs on again.

:32:21. > :32:31.Kevin Sinfield with a kick at goal. Happy with the decision? Definitely.

:32:32. > :32:34.A technical point. Sinfield with that awkward angle that he seems to

:32:35. > :32:43.adopt but it does pay dividends! Who is to argue with the maestro? All

:32:44. > :32:50.roads leading to Wembley now, surely, in that semifinal against

:32:51. > :32:56.New Zealand. Great competition from Ryan Hall. Flips it backwards. And

:32:57. > :33:07.then over to O'Loughlin, and a great finish. Gets his just rewards for

:33:08. > :33:10.being alert, Sean O'Loughlin. England are hungry for more

:33:11. > :33:20.straightaway! They come right back here! I didn't think he has had a

:33:21. > :33:25.minute's rest! Not been off the field, no! The ball has been lost

:33:26. > :33:29.because of a steel so a penalty for England again. The French are

:33:30. > :33:33.shooting themselves in the foot. I don't understand... At is the fourth

:33:34. > :33:38.penalty on the bounce for trying to steal the ball and it just increases

:33:39. > :33:44.the pressure on themselves. Look at that. Nine penalties conceded to

:33:45. > :33:52.England's four. So an extra five they have given away straightaway.

:33:53. > :34:06.So, it will be a French head and feet. A time for both sides to get

:34:07. > :34:23.some oxygen back into the tank. No complaints by England about that

:34:24. > :34:24.decision. Still very nearly double. England just ploughing the French

:34:25. > :34:41.into the ground. Jamal Fakir, the French workhorse

:34:42. > :34:50.who provides explosive itty down the middle as well. And here comes Bosc

:34:51. > :35:00.now, stepping on the inside, but then being dragged down.

:35:01. > :35:08.They will get another penalty. Too much messing about. They were

:35:09. > :35:13.claiming they were hooked in. Cooked in by the French defender, and that

:35:14. > :35:22.is why he couldn't get on. -- hooked. A good platform here

:35:23. > :35:26.potentially. They've looked good structurally, the French. They found

:35:27. > :35:30.some space on the fringes of England, but I'd have a bit of

:35:31. > :35:36.sloppy execution we have seen in this World Cup. -- but a little

:35:37. > :35:52.bit. Toulouse had aid to restrict World

:35:53. > :36:02.Cup several years ago, helped by that man. A bit untidy but it will

:36:03. > :36:09.stand up in the hands of Damien Cardace. You can try that all day

:36:10. > :36:15.for that but he is too smart for that! Again, the French have created

:36:16. > :36:24.the space and England have closed it down. Another six because there was

:36:25. > :36:28.an England touch in there. So, six more tackles for England to defend

:36:29. > :36:35.in the French are hammering at this door again. A will-o'-the-wisp

:36:36. > :36:43.attempt, Burgess with the powerful prevention.

:36:44. > :36:55.England still repelling effectively. The French still trying. A good test

:36:56. > :37:05.for England's defence, this, and they are holding up. An ambitious

:37:06. > :37:13.pass. With further poor consequences from the French point of view. They

:37:14. > :37:28.ran out of patience. Because they had to do that on fire, beauty of a

:37:29. > :37:40.play. Think the kick play is the option for the French.

:37:41. > :37:47.The desire is there to make those special plays that you need. 97%

:37:48. > :37:54.tackle completion for England in those stats. Ready good, isn't it?

:37:55. > :37:57.Not missing anything. Sticky yellow we were talking about the dynamics

:37:58. > :38:08.of the tackle before the game, the bodies, the movements. They just

:38:09. > :38:14.give you 1%. To be up near 97%, that is pretty impressive. Chris Hill has

:38:15. > :38:36.had a good tournament as well. Sinfield had a look forward and this

:38:37. > :38:40.now means that it Escare has two ghosts scampering across. -- has two

:38:41. > :38:52.go scampering. A little bit of fatigue settling

:38:53. > :39:00.into this French side as they try to bring it forward. What have you made

:39:01. > :39:06.of this, John? England have been very ruthless at times. James Graham

:39:07. > :39:19.is having a huge night in the middle of that team. Not only running the

:39:20. > :39:22.ball but passing the ball. Great defence in there, so the middle boys

:39:23. > :39:33.for England are having a good evening.

:39:34. > :39:44.A bit of broken field ahead of him but closed down by Olivier Elima.

:39:45. > :39:49.There is a split difference on the two. The French are struggling to

:39:50. > :40:05.get players back so they can't put any players on.

:40:06. > :40:14.That was almost under his knees there. And the French defences up

:40:15. > :40:21.quickly and really well! Tanya Arnold, you have something for us?

:40:22. > :40:27.What do you want to see from England, Rob? We are dangerous at

:40:28. > :40:34.times in the first half but when it gets to this stage, we need to be

:40:35. > :40:41.nailing our performance. Feeling lucky not to be playing tonight?

:40:42. > :40:49.Feeling disappointed not to be playing. England with a little bit

:40:50. > :41:05.of a slip. All is well that ends well.

:41:06. > :41:37.Another forward pass. It's hard to argue with a touch there. We've been

:41:38. > :41:50.saying it up here, I think its craftiness. -- I think it is

:41:51. > :41:54.scruffy. The players just not quite there. When you get the big teams,

:41:55. > :42:02.if they get New Zealand next week, as they should, they've got to be

:42:03. > :42:13.better than that. Tougher test for England tonight then New Zealand had

:42:14. > :42:21.against Scotland last night. What I'm trying to say is the fact that

:42:22. > :42:25.New Zealand haven't had a tough game at this World Cup, are England

:42:26. > :42:30.getting a tougher test then New Zealand have had in the competition,

:42:31. > :42:33.and that does -- and does that give England an advantage next week?

:42:34. > :43:17.Possibly, maybe. The referee quite rightly blows his

:43:18. > :43:25.whistle. They are athletic, big and strong. The competition as to be in

:43:26. > :43:29.the air. Watkins gets there, but unfortunately for him, knocks the

:43:30. > :43:40.ball forward. Another test for this English line. And the rain continues

:43:41. > :43:47.to fall. A chilly, autumnal evening. But it's at this time of year that

:43:48. > :43:54.the big decisions count. And that's a pro-decision. -- a plural

:43:55. > :44:14.decision. Talk about giving it up you -- it up

:44:15. > :44:23.easily! To be fair, Cardace was well covered. But England get it back and

:44:24. > :44:44.looking to play forward. What's that word you are using?

:44:45. > :44:52.Scruffy. It is untidy at the moment, from both sides. The weather might

:44:53. > :45:00.be playing its part, but he's got underneath there. Pelissier is a

:45:01. > :45:11.little fella, isn't he? He wrote was thinking I'm going to squash this

:45:12. > :45:21.bloke. Just compounds the situation. The French looking to prosper.

:45:22. > :45:23.Greenshields again, retiring at the end of the World Cup. Possibly his

:45:24. > :45:47.last ever game here tonight. Colonel couldn't quite pick it up

:45:48. > :45:56.cleanly. Knock-on England. They created the numbers in the chair.

:45:57. > :46:12.This is a prolonged period of play for the French here. 19 minutes

:46:13. > :46:15.remaining. England set fair for a semifinal against New Zealand next

:46:16. > :46:22.week, but the French are not going to go quietly into this good,

:46:23. > :46:28.autumnal night in Wigan. They will keep this site going all the way,

:46:29. > :46:46.testing England's resolve all the way.

:46:47. > :46:55.He's knocked on, bounced up that big chest of his. Here's the good bit

:46:56. > :46:59.for England. They are bending their backs really well there. Whatever

:47:00. > :47:07.the French are throwing at them, they are defending their line. They

:47:08. > :47:12.want to do less of this and get down the other end and practice the good

:47:13. > :47:22.stuff, the flashy stuff, the little balls, the long balls, the flashy

:47:23. > :47:27.executions. New Zealand, through, Australia, through. Tomorrow, Fiji

:47:28. > :47:55.against Samara. -- Samoa. Big, long raking kick downfield. For

:47:56. > :48:01.the first time in quite a while, the English are relieved that the

:48:02. > :48:15.bowlers on the other half. A great kick from Sinfield. Fantastic. He

:48:16. > :48:25.waxed the ball down there and they are backing themselves. It's good

:48:26. > :48:46.field position. Get them down there and keep them down there.

:48:47. > :49:04.Oh, my word! That's brilliant. He's called the ball and he's done some

:49:05. > :49:09.good stuff. Do you remember Wembley when they didn't give him one back

:49:10. > :49:21.there? Turning point of the game then at Wembley. What are you making

:49:22. > :49:27.of all this? I'm really impressed. The last nine, ten minutes, England

:49:28. > :49:31.have done nothing but defend. They've come up trumps. They have

:49:32. > :49:36.withstood everything the French team have thrown at them. Steve McNamara

:49:37. > :50:54.Haven't seen much of the fowl to that.

:50:55. > :51:01.the perpetrator. England looking to roll on here. Here comes westward,

:51:02. > :51:14.forcing his way forward. An awesome presence.

:51:15. > :51:25.Scrum down. Let's hear from Jamie Peacock. You were talking last night

:51:26. > :51:29.about New Zealand not having to do much defence on their own line, so

:51:30. > :51:35.how much good is it doing for England here tonight? I think it's

:51:36. > :51:43.good for England. It's good that they have had to defend. They

:51:44. > :51:46.recaptured territory by great kicking and great kick chasing.

:51:47. > :52:02.We've seen England to descend the second half. England looking to

:52:03. > :52:04.attack on this occasion. A little skip and a hop, but look how many

:52:05. > :52:34.gather around Tomkins. He just had his ankle taken. Quick

:52:35. > :52:38.hands, lovely hands, wonderful! The scrambling French defence, very

:52:39. > :53:06.effective in getting across there. It's been dropped anyway. Knock on.

:53:07. > :53:24.If looks could kill! England should have scored there. They just needed

:53:25. > :53:35.to catch and pass down line. Plenty of claret coming down his beak!

:53:36. > :53:48.Gives a kind of 1930s clean cut image, doesn't it? Real

:53:49. > :53:59.old-fashioned sportsmen out there. Needs a new shirt. That one is

:54:00. > :54:09.covered in blood. We will get a bit of a stoppage were. Here comes

:54:10. > :54:14.Chase. Rips one off. Chance to have a look at the tad loose. He can stay

:54:15. > :54:17.on but can't get involved in this play. For this play, at least, they

:54:18. > :54:46.are a man down. I think England are tough. They need

:54:47. > :54:53.to be a bit slicker. Is that the right expression? Scruffy is not

:54:54. > :54:58.slicker tool. 12 minutes to go. Their minds may be drifting to those

:54:59. > :55:04.big black jumpers they may be facing next weekend. That's a challenge,

:55:05. > :55:26.isn't it? Next week! The French again with a lot of

:55:27. > :55:41.metres to cover. A wall of white is waiting, however. So they are

:55:42. > :55:56.rolling downfield with decent effect, the French. Not a bad getup.

:55:57. > :56:04.A bit of time to work. Does he know it is the six? Yeah, he did. Still

:56:05. > :56:12.kept alive! They are playing football at the moment! You spin the

:56:13. > :56:17.wheel, you close your eyes, you hope it is going to work and it has for

:56:18. > :56:29.the French. They have another six plays here.

:56:30. > :56:46.Greenshields early in the tackle camp, tried that low percentage

:56:47. > :56:49.play. Frustrated today because they are creating the space and it is

:56:50. > :56:58.just the execution right on the end there. Because he hit that with a

:56:59. > :57:00.shovel, didn't he, Greenshields? They have been calling for the kick

:57:01. > :57:01.player for the French because they have been dreading the England

:57:02. > :57:20.defence. You can see Sam Burgess is now off

:57:21. > :57:27.as well. And James Graham stalking the touchline.

:57:28. > :57:36.Good footwork by Chris Hill there. Five gone and here comes the last.

:57:37. > :57:43.Well, it would have been. Messing about and they will have to tackle

:57:44. > :57:47.again. To my recollection that is the fourth penalty by France on the

:57:48. > :57:52.fifth tackle. That is too hard on Rugby League. I don't care what you

:57:53. > :57:58.say. It is too hard to do that. They haven't given themselves a chance,

:57:59. > :58:09.the French. Well, England are readying themselves up again for

:58:10. > :58:16.chance. Another six tackles here. McIlorum with the freshest pair of

:58:17. > :58:20.legs here on the field! The Frenchman is left fuming! The only

:58:21. > :58:29.thing I will say about that as we watch this play unfold and build,

:58:30. > :58:33.going towards the line, he just plays straight in the face. Probably

:58:34. > :58:51.deserved it. Don't know what he did. This week

:58:52. > :59:04.he is caught by Brett Ferres, who, in turn, might have been caught in

:59:05. > :59:08.the face. I don't know. These execution issues I have been talking

:59:09. > :59:18.about all we have been talking about... Sam Tomkins gets back. Then

:59:19. > :59:25.they mess around. He will have to go to the bin for that is for a

:59:26. > :59:30.professional foul. I don't think he would have wanted to finishing quite

:59:31. > :59:32.that way. I think the word is auspicious, Dave. Don't ask me to

:59:33. > :59:57.spell it! Over the top by a mile again. And

:59:58. > :00:02.out of play. This is the story of their World Cup, isn't it, for the

:00:03. > :00:05.French? They have created lots of opportunities but never executed any

:00:06. > :00:12.of them, which has resulted in their low score count. Three tries in the

:00:13. > :00:19.tournament. Man of the match, as ever, chosen by the press, and it is

:00:20. > :00:24.Sam Tomkins. Given the order of being man of the match in his last

:00:25. > :00:28.game. I have to say, because all the indications are that he wants to

:00:29. > :00:38.come back after his spell in the NRL. I think James Graham has been

:00:39. > :00:47.outstanding tonight. I think Roby had a big impact. Sam Burgess has

:00:48. > :00:52.been dangerous. It suggests I disagree! But he has played well. I

:00:53. > :01:01.understand why the headline stuff gets it out there. I live a short

:01:02. > :01:12.answer, though, you know! -- I love. And Sean O'Loughlin has played

:01:13. > :01:20.well. He is such a great player, isn't he, O'Loughlin? Boy, there's a

:01:21. > :01:26.lot to admire about him and here he is now. There is a man in the way,

:01:27. > :01:29.which has to be a penalty. As difficult as it was for the

:01:30. > :01:35.Frenchman to get out of the way, you do have to get out of the way. I

:01:36. > :01:45.think the problem is, you has lost it. He has to roll out there. -- he

:01:46. > :01:53.has lost it. So a penalty for England. Four minutes left to play.

:01:54. > :01:58.Can England finish with a flourish? They did the job in the first half

:01:59. > :02:01.against Fiji last week and then the job in the second half in terms of

:02:02. > :02:04.getting the points on the board. The French have given them real

:02:05. > :02:10.resistance but never really threatened England's dominance. And

:02:11. > :02:15.there is Sinfield carting it forward again. 15 out!

:02:16. > :02:26.Look at the gap! Look at the gap! Has Brett Ferres ever scored an

:02:27. > :02:32.easier tried than that! And our Pelissier wants to stop picking on

:02:33. > :02:37.the big boys here. His team-mates came in before it got embarrassing

:02:38. > :02:41.for the little Frenchman! Here's a flyweight against at least a light

:02:42. > :02:45.heavyweight! Then he picks on another heavyweight, and another

:02:46. > :02:55.heavyweight and another! Possible obstruction, of course. Over to you,

:02:56. > :03:01.Ben. We are looking for obstruction on a French player.

:03:02. > :03:18.Everything is OK there. It's from this play... So... Did that man hit

:03:19. > :03:26.the gap or did he just barge into him?

:03:27. > :03:32.There is sufficient depth. The Frenchman sort of goes to him as

:03:33. > :03:53.well. Let's have this nice and slow. He

:03:54. > :03:56.goes, he tries... The French number 11 changes and goes towards the

:03:57. > :04:03.English players so I am happy with that one. He has gone in for that

:04:04. > :04:06.gap, meaning the French player goes to the man, so that is no

:04:07. > :04:18.obstruction because the Frenchman has made collision. I am happy with

:04:19. > :04:24.that. Goes to the grounding... Yeah. So, can we just go back on that and

:04:25. > :04:34.confirm? We need to confirm he catches it on the outside? I think

:04:35. > :04:47.he does. Now we need to go a bit further than -- further back than

:04:48. > :05:01.that, please. Yeah, I am happy with that, so that is a try.

:05:02. > :05:11.Well, it took an age but now we have the decision. England now push that

:05:12. > :05:17.school beyond the 30 mark now. What a year Brett Ferres has had this

:05:18. > :05:28.year. A big year with The Giants and a big start to his international

:05:29. > :05:31.career at this level. 34-6 and I am sure Crabtree will be very pleased

:05:32. > :05:38.for the Huddersfield man getting that try. Yes, it is fantastic. He

:05:39. > :05:42.will be William pressed with him and I'm glad he has managed to get on

:05:43. > :05:48.the field and get that try. We were talking about, in the studio, he

:05:49. > :05:52.knows where the gaps are and he is just a great player in general, a

:05:53. > :05:56.great professional. I hope he retains his place and gets a start

:05:57. > :06:06.next week because he is definitely up for that challenge.

:06:07. > :06:10.We look forward to that. With so much certainty, it will be England

:06:11. > :06:16.against New Zealand. In that semifinal next week. And here we

:06:17. > :06:28.go, Ferres, rolling forward. Only a couple of minutes left to play. Some

:06:29. > :06:39.certainty. Well, with certainty. With some certainty. With some

:06:40. > :06:42.certainty. They are going to play New Zealand next week. It is as

:06:43. > :06:54.simple as that. We have probably been aware of that for some time.

:06:55. > :07:05.Another job well done for England tonight? Yes. Scruffy but

:07:06. > :07:09.defensively very strong. Very strong. You've got to put it all

:07:10. > :07:11.together now, all those bits we have seen right throughout the

:07:12. > :07:18.tournament, put the lot together next week and the week after. It is

:07:19. > :07:21.just the finishes in this part of the field where you want to build

:07:22. > :07:30.pressure against the good teams. There is a question mark... Well, as

:07:31. > :07:34.we keep saying, it is a much, much bigger test next week. The World Cup

:07:35. > :07:40.started in absolute earnest from England's point of view again. They

:07:41. > :07:49.were always heavy favourites to do this. I don't think we'll see a

:07:50. > :07:57.restart here. I'm not sure either pack will be happy about stopping.

:07:58. > :08:00.The referee goes over to try to calm things down and a little glance at

:08:01. > :08:07.the scoreboard to see how many seconds left to play. They have only

:08:08. > :08:13.conceded three tries, England. One here tonight. And that puts them in

:08:14. > :08:25.good stead, doesn't it? It puts them in great stead. He stopped the

:08:26. > :08:33.clock! Two seconds to go! So they can have an argument! , one, Ashley!

:08:34. > :08:41.It is like something the Mrs would do, stop the clock to have an

:08:42. > :08:46.argument! He put it back on again and the hooter has gone. A shake of

:08:47. > :08:52.hands but a job well done here by England tonight. Four tries in the

:08:53. > :08:57.first half. Eight tries now in the tournament. Boy, he has enjoyed this

:08:58. > :09:03.Rugby League World Cup and he knows if he can carry on this scoring

:09:04. > :09:07.ratio in the next two games, then potentially he could put England in

:09:08. > :09:13.dreamland. Josh Charnley in on the action as well. The last game at the

:09:14. > :09:26.DW Stadium for an awful long time and a little bit disappointing with

:09:27. > :09:29.that sin-bin for Sam Tomkins. Sean MacLachlan and then Brett Ferres

:09:30. > :09:37.adding to the two horrific season he has had. -- Sean O'Loughlin. --

:09:38. > :09:54.adding to the terrific season. For the French, their only win in

:09:55. > :10:00.this tournament against Papa New Guinea. And they will be

:10:01. > :10:05.disappointed, as they were five years ago in Australia in the 2008

:10:06. > :10:08.World Cup. So that is it for England and they advance now alongside

:10:09. > :10:12.Australia and New Zealand, and only one more game to put onto the

:10:13. > :10:20.Wembley billing for next week. Will it be Fiji or Samoa? We will find

:10:21. > :10:27.out tomorrow. But England have won here.

:10:28. > :10:33.Sam, congratulations on your man of the match performance. But probably

:10:34. > :10:42.not the way he wanted to end, on the bench? No. Have you been able to put

:10:43. > :10:46.that to one side? I've said all my goodbyes and why wasn't sure if I'll

:10:47. > :10:52.get to play here so tonight was just about getting the win. We played

:10:53. > :10:56.well in patches and win you the game was won at them we went sloppy so

:10:57. > :11:00.there are areas of improvement if we are going to go and beat the Kiwis

:11:01. > :11:07.next week. Was that in your mind what you have to do next week once

:11:08. > :11:10.you have the game done? Everybody was focused on what they had to do

:11:11. > :11:15.today and putting in the performance. Are you conscious that

:11:16. > :11:27.you will have to lift things to a whole mother level? Yes. -- to a

:11:28. > :11:34.whole other level. We are a really post-group as well and that is

:11:35. > :11:38.important. Do you have a message for the fans? Just a massive thank you

:11:39. > :11:47.again. We certainly need the backing we have had so go and buy your

:11:48. > :11:51.tickets for Wembley! Thank you, Sam. Richard, possibly the story of your

:11:52. > :12:05.tournament but your guys made chances out there? Pride and courage

:12:06. > :12:11.can only take you so far. The other team had a lot more skill than ours.

:12:12. > :12:16.He said your side, if you were going to go out, go out with your heads

:12:17. > :12:22.held high. There was always going to be an issue about the second half. I

:12:23. > :12:26.thought they dug in really hard. There was a period in the first half

:12:27. > :12:31.where we barely touched the ball. What do you think the side can take

:12:32. > :12:40.out of this tournament and what needs to happen? From a playing

:12:41. > :12:47.point of view, pride and commitment can only take you so far. The plane

:12:48. > :12:59.full and the depth of talent in France needs to grow. The French

:13:00. > :13:09.players are in a huddle at the moment as their World Cup tournament

:13:10. > :13:14.comes to an end. In fact, many of the fans have stayed behind, not

:13:15. > :13:20.only to applaud England, but now they are rising to applaud the

:13:21. > :13:23.French players as they go towards the fans. England are at the

:13:24. > :13:36.opposite end of the stadium at the moment. Do they merge with credit,

:13:37. > :13:41.Jamie? I think so. They tried to attack the English goal, but England

:13:42. > :13:47.defended with great infusion as and desperation to hold them out. It's a

:13:48. > :13:53.semifinal for England against New Zealand. Job done, but how do you

:13:54. > :14:00.feel about the overall performance? Very scratchy, we have done enough

:14:01. > :14:04.to win the game, but in terms of performance, way down from what we

:14:05. > :14:11.would expect. Do you think the guys were trying to follow New Zealand

:14:12. > :14:16.and do a bit number on France? I'm not sure. We respected France, but

:14:17. > :14:22.the way we approach the game as a whole, the amount of errors we made,

:14:23. > :14:29.was extraordinary. What will you be concentrating on? We will be all

:14:30. > :14:36.right next week. But we got a lot of work to do this week. Hubert Burgess

:14:37. > :14:42.in in the second row. Was that looking ahead to the New Zealand

:14:43. > :14:53.game? No, that team was picked for this week. We will see you at

:14:54. > :14:57.Wembley. Steve McNamara talking to Tanya. The England players just

:14:58. > :15:04.finishing their lap of honour. You can see them at the bottom left-hand

:15:05. > :15:17.corner of screen. That brutal clash tomorrow at 3pm: Samoa against Fiji.

:15:18. > :15:23.Highlights the sport website, and will be live next Wembley -- next

:15:24. > :15:27.Saturday at Wembley. If you can't or don't want to buy a ticket, you can

:15:28. > :15:42.watch it with us: England against New Zealand at 12:30pm. Sam Tomkins

:15:43. > :15:45.saying goodbye to the stadium for the time being. You never know, you

:15:46. > :15:52.may come back and play for Wigan again one day. And for the final

:15:53. > :15:56.time in a rugby league kit. He walks down the tunnel for the last time,

:15:57. > :16:06.and the fans stayed to applaud him. Steve critical was critical, wasn't

:16:07. > :16:13.he? Yeah, and he's right say that. They were a little bit sloppy. A

:16:14. > :16:18.great result, that's all you can ask for, but overall, they needed to be

:16:19. > :16:21.a little bit better, consistent throughout the game, too many

:16:22. > :16:31.errors. Steve McNamara talks a lot about intensity. Does it feel like

:16:32. > :16:36.we've heard not exactly the same post match interview, but similar

:16:37. > :16:41.words, both from coach and players? If you could some England up, it

:16:42. > :16:47.would be scratchy. They have played well for long periods in the games,

:16:48. > :16:51.but they have had 30 minute periods in all the games they played where

:16:52. > :16:56.the intensity has not been there. They have made too many errors and

:16:57. > :17:01.been forced to defend, which they've done very well in this tournament.

:17:02. > :17:06.Against the bigger teams, you worry about having to defend that volume

:17:07. > :17:09.of players on your own line, you think the Kiwis and the Australians

:17:10. > :17:14.have the firepower. But the pleasing thing will be the defence. The

:17:15. > :17:18.disappointing thing will be 13 errors in a game and a lack of

:17:19. > :17:24.respect for the ball. Let's delve into the second half a little bit

:17:25. > :17:45.more. Sam Tomkins got man of the match. Loch earn is a great player.

:17:46. > :17:53.Get the ball on the money. We've got him right in the middle. It's

:17:54. > :18:05.great, for England, that he is playing well. He is a crucial part

:18:06. > :18:12.of this team. More important, it is Chase's decision to kick the ball.

:18:13. > :18:18.It is encouraging that he took the conservative option. The French had

:18:19. > :18:21.an extended period of possession. England had an extended period of

:18:22. > :18:27.possession but scored a lot of points. If you have been with us all

:18:28. > :18:33.the way through our coverage, you will have seen, pre-match, there was

:18:34. > :18:39.a very interesting look between James Graham and the rest of us. It

:18:40. > :18:46.felt slightly intimidating, for though that of us who don't play

:18:47. > :18:51.rugby league on a weekly basis! I am delighted to say James is waiting to

:18:52. > :18:59.tool to us now. The locals aimed at John, in particular, wasn't it? Most

:19:00. > :19:04.definitely. He has been giving me a bit of stick today. He warned me not

:19:05. > :19:14.to blow it. He invited me to his wedding as well, so I did feel bad.

:19:15. > :19:22.We heard Steve McNamara described the performances scratchy. Would you

:19:23. > :19:27.go along with that? Most definitely. We made a couple of errors. He said

:19:28. > :19:32.at half-time we went three back-to-back, and that's not good.

:19:33. > :19:41.What do you think is crucial to beat New Zealand? We need to look after

:19:42. > :19:48.the ball when we have got it and probably need to complete about 80%.

:19:49. > :19:54.They are a quality side and if you give them a cheap, easy ball, they

:19:55. > :20:03.will punish you. Which players do you fear and which players command

:20:04. > :20:09.most respect? I respect them all. They are holders of the World Cup,

:20:10. > :20:24.and for good reason as well. Some good lad and the squad as well. They

:20:25. > :20:27.will have a lot of respect. Are you able to enjoy this? This is a

:20:28. > :20:35.pinnacle of the international career, playing in front of big

:20:36. > :20:39.crowds in your home country. I mean, you can enjoy it. You've got to

:20:40. > :20:51.enjoy playing rugby league. Is the best job in the world. I was a

:20:52. > :20:56.friends house the other day and was a bit embarrassed that I had to

:20:57. > :21:01.leave the phone wouldn't work, but apart from that, you do enjoy

:21:02. > :21:06.yourself. That look was incredibly scary at the start, but thank you

:21:07. > :21:15.very much for talking to us. No problem, chapters. Let's go back to

:21:16. > :21:20.the game, though. The French opportunities that they then

:21:21. > :21:24.eventually let themselves down with. This is the story of the tournament

:21:25. > :21:31.for the French side. They always create these opportunities, and they

:21:32. > :21:37.just get the ball out wide. They get the chance to score tries but they

:21:38. > :21:40.don't. It is really positive that they can get themselves into

:21:41. > :21:50.position, but the final product is not good enough. Can we, at the same

:21:51. > :21:54.time, while recognise the French are missing opportunities, are we able

:21:55. > :22:01.to give credit to England for their defence? They defended really well.

:22:02. > :22:06.They defended together. One thing that got them out of trouble was

:22:07. > :22:13.Sinfield's kick. It was on the third tackle. This is what they will need

:22:14. > :22:18.to do against New Zealand. 73 metres in the kick which was great, but

:22:19. > :22:23.what was more impressive was the kick chasing. England have been

:22:24. > :22:30.talking with a tournament about this wall of white and we can see that

:22:31. > :22:36.snazzy graphics there! That's what England must do. That graphic has

:22:37. > :22:42.shown something, the unglamorous part of rugby which you have made

:22:43. > :22:47.glamorous. It's an important part of winning big games. We need to see

:22:48. > :22:54.that next week from England. They need to have a good kick and goaded

:22:55. > :23:02.kick chasing. Do we need to see more of it as well? Definitely. It's all

:23:03. > :23:05.about building pressure. Even though the French side weren't scoring

:23:06. > :23:10.tries, they were putting England under an enormous amount of

:23:11. > :23:21.pressure. That's not the prettiest sight I have ever seen! That lady, I

:23:22. > :23:29.am told, they are Sam Burgess's shorts. I don't know whether that's

:23:30. > :23:42.because of the smell, but she is completely and utterly overwhelmed!

:23:43. > :23:47.The girl has Sam Burgess's shorts. Judging by how she reacted, I am

:23:48. > :23:53.guessing they will never be washed and they will be under her pillow

:23:54. > :23:57.this evening! She's also got a wedding ring on, so goodness knows

:23:58. > :24:04.what her husband will make of it! Oh, that might be him. Right then,

:24:05. > :24:10.let's point you in the direction of more rugby league coverage across

:24:11. > :24:15.the BBC. From that low to this high. All the highlights of the other

:24:16. > :24:23.games, 1130 tomorrow. You can catch the repeat on Monday. Fiji against

:24:24. > :24:33.Samoa in particular. We are on the red button now. Lots of tweets.

:24:34. > :24:40.We've got some already. Mary: Hair raising. Bring on New Zealand.

:24:41. > :24:48.David: Two games left, lads. Chris: Early scare. Service is resumed.

:24:49. > :24:53.Also, what we would do on the red button, is these three have all

:24:54. > :24:57.picked their England teams to face New Zealand next week. Well, they

:24:58. > :25:05.don't look very happy about it! I think they are slightly nervous. We

:25:06. > :25:12.will see you at Wembley next Saturday on BBC One. It will be

:25:13. > :25:19.huge. England against New Zealand. We will see you then.