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PARIS - Queen Elizabeth and the latest actor to play secret agent James Bond have joined Prime Minister Gordon Brown with messages of support for England before the World Cup final against South Africa on Saturday (1900 GMT).
England coach Brian Ashton told a news conference on Friday that Daniel Craig, the actor credited with breathing fresh life into the jaded Bond franchise, had sent a message to the team before last week's semi-final against France.
"It arrived in the room and said `pass on my best wishes to be the rest of the team. I'm filming in Lithuania at the moment, unfortunately I can't be there and I won't see it on TV'," Ashton said.
Ashton said Brown, a Scot, had sent a fax to the defending champions, including a quotation from England's wartime leader Winston Churchill which he confessed to reporters later he could not recall.
A spokesman for the Queen said she had sent a private message to the team which was intended to be read to the side by Ashton before the kickoff.
English rugby fans poured into Paris on Friday by rail, road and air to support a side who had appeared down and out when they lost 36-0 to the Springboks in the pool stages.
But unlike the fevered scenes in Sydney four years ago around the team's hotel before the final against Australia, the atmosphere in England's Paris headquarters was almost subdued.
Certainly there was no ringing rhetoric from captain Phil Vickery when he was invited to share with reporters the message he had personally given his side.
"I said a few words," Vickery said. "I don't think the group needs much more motivation than playing in these games.
"There's been lots of things said from a few guys in the team but ultimately we've earned the right to be in this game tomorrow and we want to make sure we do well."
Ashton said every game since the South Africa match had been effectively a knockout match.
"That's when the experienced players step forward, they know how to handle it, they've been there before," he said.
"We've had four Cup finals in the last four weeks, at any stage we could have been on the train home.
"This is the Cup final and our approach to the game has been very similar to what it has been for the last four games. We've got to win the game and we've got to find a way to do it."
Vickery said there was a huge amount of expectation both outside and inside the team.
"We are under no illusions as to how big a task tomorrow night is going to be," he said. "South Africa are a quality side and they proved that. But we are looking forward to the game and we are very, very excited."
- REUTERS
