KEY POINTS:
England's Jonny Wilkinson says the champions are still on a knife-edge as they prepare for their make or break clash with Tonga.
England's win over Samoa in Nantes left them having to beat Tonga in Paris to make the last eight. And win they must to avoid becoming
the first champions not to reach the quarter-finals.
Wilkinson, appearing in only his eighth international since landing the drop-goal that secured victory in the 2003 final, marked his debut in this tournament with 24 points.
He had been forced to sit on the sidelines with an ankle injury sustained during England's first training session in France, and could only watch as they struggled to overcome the United States 28-10 before suffering a 36-0 thrashing by South Africa - England's record Cup defeat.
"There's a touch of relief involved. It's a tough environment to be in, knowing you're hanging by a thread. But we've got ourselves a little bit to blame for being in this position," the 28-year-old added after being successful with nine out of his 12 goalkicks.
Yesterday's haul moved Wilkinson ahead of Australia's Michael Lynagh (195) into second place in the list of the World Cup's all-time leading points-scorers with 206, just 21 behind Scotland great Gavin Hastings' tally.
But Australia, England's likely quarter-final opponents should they get that far, will have noticed how Wilkinson's kicking out of hand was below par and how Samoa were also able to punch holes through the champions' midfield.
Nevertheless, Wilkinson added: "The mood is good. The frustration comes out of the fact that people can't show that kind of experience and talents that make them special in their chosen field of work. There's a little bit more of a feeling that today [Sunday] the guys could start to do that."
Beaten coach Michael Jones, who said he would be stepping down from the part-time position to concentrate on his career with a shipping firm, was generous in his praise of England.
"They hang tough, that's a sign of a good team and they put us to the sword in the last 10 minutes."
- AFP