KEY POINTS:
NANTES - England's 2003 World Cup winning hero Jonny Wilkinson said the champions were still on a World Cup knife edge as they prepared for their make or break clash with Tonga.
World Cup holders England's 44-22 win over Samoa here at the Stade de la Beaujoire left them having to beat another Pacific Island side in Tonga at Paris's Parc des Princes on Friday to go through to the last eight.
And win they must to avoid becoming the first champions not to reach the quarter-finals as a draw would see Tonga qualify on points difference.
The injury-plagued Wilkinson, appearing in only his eighth England international since landing the drop-goal that secured victory in the 2003 World Cup final, marked his debut in this tournament with 24 points.
Wilkinson 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 World Cup defeat.
"There's a touch of relief involved. But at the same time you can only enjoy that relief tonight (Saturday) because tomorrow brings ourselves another game we have to contemplate where the same rules apply," he reflected after England made it five wins in as many Tests against Samoa.
"It's a tough environment to be in, knowing you're hanging by a thread. But we've got ourselves a litle bit to blame for being in this position," the 28-year-old added after being successful with nine out of his 12 goalkicks.
Saturday'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's tally of 227.
But Wilkinson, England's record points-scorer, played down the importance of another landmark in a statistic-laden career, saying what mattered was getting the team on the board at important times.
"Certain kicks mean so much to you during the game. There was one to take us from four points in front to seven and another to take us to 10, that was a key one."
England, who saw captain Martin Corry and wing Paul Sackey both score two tries apiece, produced by far their best performance of the tournament against Samoa - although that is not saying much.
However, their lead was reduced to four points early in the second-half after a controversial try from Samoa scrum-half Junior Polu, his team's other scores coming from the boot of full-back Loki Crichton.
And Australia, England's likely quarter-final opponents should England make the last eight, will have noticed how Wilkinson's kicking out of hand was below par and how Samoa were also able to punch holes in 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 (Saturday) the guys could start to do that."
Defeat ended Samoa's quarter-final hopes after their surprise 15-19 reverse against Tonga.
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."
And Jones, a World Cup-winning flanker with New Zealand in 1987, said he expected England to go on and reach the knockout stages despite Tonga's capacity to spring another surprise.
"They've got the talent pool to cause an upset. But I still think England has too much firepower."
- AFP
