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Defending champions England again proved Australia’s nemesis, dumping the match favourites out of the Rugby World Cup with a high-pressured 12-10 quarterfinal victory at Stade Velodrome in Marseilles on Saturday. England, who downed the Wallabies in the 2003 final in extra-time and in the 1995 quarterfinal, both with drop goals, handled the high stakes better.
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South Africa coach Jake White said that hatching a victory over Fiji in the Rugby World Cup quarterfinal in Marseilles on Sunday was not ”rocket science”. Possession of the ball in contact against Fiji, an area where South Africa suffered in their narrow 30-25 pool victory over Tonga, was essential, said White.
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When it comes to ritual sporting humiliation, England have more often than not resembled the bloodied corpse and Australia the merciless executioner. The 2005 Ashes cricket success and the 2003 Rugby World Cup triumph have been rare highlights for England’s long-suffering fans, who have grown wearily familiar with the power of the Australian juggernaut.
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The Wallabies are focusing on blunting the effectiveness of Jonny Wilkinson in their crunch Rugby World Cup quarterfinal in Marseilles on Saturday to ensure there is no repeat of his match-winning heroics for England in the 2003 final. The masterful flyhalf has steadied England after their rocky start to the tournament.
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/ 28 September 2007
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Champions England advanced to a quarterfinal meeting with Australia after proving too strong for Tonga in their Pool A decider on Friday by running in four tries in an eventually convincing 36-20 victory. Winger Paul Sackey added two more in the first half at a sodden Parc des Princes.
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/ 22 September 2007
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Reigning champions England overcame Samoa 44-22 to get their World Cup campaign back on track at the Stade de la Beaujoire in Nantes on Saturday. Flyhalf Jonny Wilkinson, playing his first World Cup match since the 2003 final, kicked 24 points, while captain Martin Corry scored two tries.
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/ 21 September 2007
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It seems this isn’t the best time to be an English rugby fan. For one thing, their team just seems to keep losing — even off the pitch! This week the internet was awash with rugby shirts bearing the ”036” logo after the English went down by that margin to South Africa last Sunday.
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/ 19 September 2007
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Brian Ashton may have entrusted the pivotal position of flyhalf to a man who has spent much of the past fortnight with his right foot in an ice bucket, but the England coach didn’t look like a man who’d taken a gamble when he unveiled his team to play Samoa. Fit-again Jonny Wilkinson returns and starts a Test with Olly Barkley at inside centre for the first time.
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/ 19 September 2007
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Wallaby ace Stephen Larkham has some unfinished business as he targets a likely quarterfinal against holders England in his return from injury at the Rugby World Cup. The experienced playmaker has zeroed in on a last-eight return early next month as his comeback game from minor knee surgery.
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/ 18 September 2007
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Jonny Wilkinson, who kicked the extra-time drop goal in 2003 to win the Rugby World Cup, could be England’s saviour again after declaring himself fit to play against Samoa on Saturday. Writing in his weekly column on Monday in the Times, Wilkinson said he is ready to test his right ankle with England needing to win in Nantes and then beat Tonga in Paris .
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/ 14 September 2007
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South Africa humiliated world champions England in Paris on Friday as they inflicted a record World Cup defeat on them winning 36-0 to avenge their 2003 World Cup loss to the English. Two tries to JP Pietersen (taking his total to three), one from Juan Smith and 18 points from Percy Montgomery handed England defeat.
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/ 14 September 2007
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What a difference four years make. On Friday South Africa take on England at the Stade de France, confident that they have the beating of the old enemy. Four years ago the England team had an aura of invincibility about it, but today it looks like one of those household implements reassembled in haste, with two or three parts left over that don’t seem to have a genuine function.
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/ 13 September 2007
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South Africa and England have quite a Rugby World Cup history and their clash at the Stade de France on Friday promises to be yet another enthralling chapter. It was here eight years ago that the Springboks — then the defending champions — ended England hopes of landing the William Webb Ellis trophy and ridiculed Clive Woodward’s statement of ”judge me on the World Cup”.
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/ 13 September 2007
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England head into Friday’s crunch clash against South Africa with the key duty of goal-kicking set to be given to a man who has yet to score a Test match point in the union game. Andy Farrell was a prolific goal-kicker in rugby league but since his transfer from Wigan to Saracens in March 2005 has struck precious few kicks.
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/ 11 September 2007
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England captain Phil Vickery was suspended for two matches on Tuesday for tripping United States centre Paul Emerick. It is a ban that rules the tighthead prop out of the world champions’ key Pool A clash against South Africa in Paris on Friday and the September 22 fixture with Samoa in Nantes.
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/ 11 September 2007
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World Cup heroes Jonny Wilkinson and Lawrence Dallaglio have been left out the England team to play South Africa in their Pool A match at the Stade de France on Friday. Flyhalf Wilkinson missed the opening match against the United States with an ankle injury but Dallaglio played at number eight. Both men were in the winning World Cup final team four years ago.
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/ 9 September 2007
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New Zealand and Australia scored a combined total of 167 points and 24 tries as the southern hemisphere giants ruthlessly exposed the huge gap in international rugby at the World Cup on Saturday. The All Blacks swept aside Italy, who had beaten both Wales and Scotland in the Six Nations this year, 76-14 while Australia crushed Japan 91-3.
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/ 9 September 2007
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Champions England produced a sluggish, uninspired and deeply flawed performance on Sunday to beat the United States 28-10 in their opening World Cup Pool A match. England failed to even gain the bonus point awarded for four tries, falling one short after leading 21-3 at halftime.
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/ 5 September 2007
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Springbok coach Jake White pledged on Wednesday that his side will launch an all-out assault on Samoa when they kick off their World Cup campaign on Sunday. ”We will play against Samoa with the best team that we can put on the pitch,” said White ahead of the Paris Pool A encounter.
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Jonny Wilkinson, in the Hollywood film of his life, would have kicked that World Cup-winning drop-goal against Australia and promptly announced his retirement. After all, how could he top that? But as the England flyhalf has discovered during the last four years, life isn’t always like they tell you it is in the movies.