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MARSEILLE - England stunned Australia 12-10 to reach the World Cup semi-finals this morning after they finally produced a performance worthy of their world champion status in a monumental battle with their old sporting rivals.
England's mighty pack earned the victory with an awesome scrummaging display while Jonny Wilkinson, Australia's destroyer in the final four years ago, delivered all the points.
Australia went into the game as huge odds-on favourites but, apart from a first-half Lote Tuqiri try, always struggled to get into the game as they were starved of possession.
It was not quite a repeat of the scrum demolition of Twickenham two years ago but near enough to ensure their dangerous backs did most of their work under pressure.
England halfback Andy Gomarsall admitted it had not been a pretty display and when asked how they had managed to defy the odds he said: "Sheer grit and bloody mindedness.
"I just can't believe it. It's unreal," he told ITV television.
England were unrecognisable from the team thrashed 36-0 by South Africa three weeks ago and can now look forward to a Paris semi-final against either New Zealand or France.
"I'm delighted for the players, they've put a tremendous amount of work in since the South Africa game and they reaped their rewards this afternoon," coach Brian Ashton told ITV.
The scrum, identified by the world champions as an area of advantage, was initially something of a shambles with Irish referee Alain Rolland penalising both sides after a series of collapses.
Wilkinson and Stirling Mortlock both nailed two and missed two as the swirling wind made goalkicking awkward but Australia claimed the only try of the first half in the 33rd minute.
A long period of pressure ended with first five-eighths Berrick Barnes showing deft hands to supply the crash-running Mortlock and he set up wing Tuqiri, Australia's tryscorer in the 2003 final, for his first score of the tournament.
England, though, regrouped strongly. Mike Catt, in his fourth quarter-final, offered an assured presence at centre while Jason Robinson was a constant threat and they were unfortunate to reach halftime 10-6 behind after Wilkinson's double penalty miss.
The first five-eighths, whose 12-point tally took him ahead of Scot Gavin Hastings as the World Cup's all-time leading scorer, closed the gap to a point when he hauled himself groggily off the floor to land a 52nd-minute shot.
England's tails were up, their scrum was in total ascendancy and the crowd roaring them on as they earned another penalty on the hour for Wilkinson to put them 12-10 ahead.
England threw on Matt Stevens for captain Phil Vickery to keep up the scrum pressure while a series of Australian changes failed to stem the flood.
Wilkinson had the chance to stretch England's lead with six minutes remaining but missed from halfway.
In the final four years ago it was England who failed to score in the second half but that dubious honour changed hands this time as Mortlock's long-range penalty fell short three minutes from the end.
England, who knocked Australia out in the quarter-finals in 1995 on the only other occasion the double-champions had failed to make the last four, held on the ball just long enough in the nerve-shredding final minutes to complete a remarkable turnaround from the ruins of just three weeks ago.
- REUTERS
