Photos: Key semifinal match-upsKEY POINTS:
PARIS - England captain Phil Vickery called on his team to sacrifice body and soul for the cause when they face France in the World Cup semifinals on Sunday (NZ time).
Vickery said that much of the week had been spent on analysing last week's quarter-finals but that it was the willingness of the players to put themselves on the line that would make the difference in the Stade de France.
"We've kept things simple this week," he told reporters on Friday. "Game plans take you so far but ultimately if you haven't got that will to sacrifice your body and soul tomorrow night then those things won't happen.
"I believe we've got enough in our armoury to beat France. It's going to be a great night and a huge test and it's going to take from 1-22 to stand up.
"People are going to have to find performances within themselves perhaps they never thought they had."
Vickery said the mood had changed within the camp in the last few weeks from a desperation to produce a good performance to the current position of needing to go all the way.
"I don't want to go home and get a pat on the back and hear "they gave it a go, well done the old boys'," he said.
"I'm very proud of the guys, in years to come you'll look back at games like tomorrow night and last weekend and I can tell you there are some absolute heroes in my team, people I've very proud to have played alongside."
Coach Brian Ashton said he supported the players' decision to run the ball much more in the early stages against Australia than had been planned and said he expected them to shoulder similar responsibility against the unpredictable French.
"We've talked about how we want to attack and to how we want to defend but those plans can go up in smoke in the first 10 minutes if France come out and play in a different way than we expect them to," he said. "It's in their hands.
"Now is the time for them to think about their roles in the game how they are going to adapt to changing circumstances if they occur on the field," added the coach, who said he had kept out of the way on Friday and would again tomorrow."
More than half England's match squad were involved in the last World Cup with seven of them in action in the final, something Ashton feels could give his side the edge on what is sure to be a nerve-shredding occasion.
"A lot of these players have been through a hell of a lot in rugby, it's going to be a momentous occasion in itself but it won't be a surprise to at least half the team," he said.
"They will have an important role in the early part of the game when emotions are running high. The side who can control the emotions and translate those emotions into performance could be the side who gets the upper hand."
England's earlier struggles have helped form a bond that Ashton believes holds them in good stead for Saturday's challenge and though he declined to predict a victory, he said: "I've just got massive confidence in these guys.
"They've fought their way through and are on an upward curve now. There is a lot of confidence in the squad, a lot of belief, a lot of experience and a lot of talent. Put all that together on the night and they are going to be a hard team to beat."
- REUTERS
