Sep 29, 2007, 1:51 GMT
Paris - Holders England secured a spot in the quarter-finals of the Rugby World Cup by defeating a scrappy Tonga team 36-20 in a Pool A match played Friday in Paris.
In a hard-fought and entertaining game, wing Paul Sackey scored two tries and the foot of 2003 World Cup hero Jonny Wilkinson accounted for 16 points to give England the crucial win.
While the Tongans often looked the livelier side, they were thwarted by their many crucial handling errors and England's technical superiority and experience.
The early stages of the match were fiercely contested and evenly balanced. Underdogs Tonga went ahead in the 10th minute when fly half Pierre Hola converted a penalty. Wilkinson equalized four minutes later.
In the 17th minute, centre Sukanaivalu Hufanga capped a quick offensive thrust with a brilliant individual run, skidding on the wet turf for the final three metres to touch down. Hola converted, and Tonga led 10-3.
But England were swift to reply. They recovered the ensuing kickoff, and Wilkinson laid a lovely cross-field kick into Sackey's hands for the try.
Wilkinson failed to convert, but his drop kick gave England the lead for good in the 32nd minute. He added a penalty in the 36th minute to stretch that advantage to 14-10.
Two minutes later, Sackey made the pivotal play of the game, picking up a fumbled Tonga pass and rambling 80 metres for the try. After Wilkinson failed to convert, England led 19-10 at halftime.
But Tonga again scored first in the second half, with another Hola penalty in the 55th minute. And again England answered quickly, with centre Mathew Tait darting through the Tonga defence to touch down just two minutes later.
Substitute centre Andy Ferrell bulled over for a try in the 66th minute and Wilkinson added a drop kick in the 72nd, before Tonga were rewarded for their courage and offensive persistence when flanker Hale T Pole slid over the try line just before time.
Although he had an uncharacteristically inconsistent match, with his 16 points Wilkinson is now only 5 points shy of Scot Gavin Hasting's all-time World Cup record of 227 points scored.
Finishing second in Pool A behind South Africa, England now move on to play two-time champions Australia in the quarter-finals on October 6 in Marseille.
England coach Brian Ashton said his team played well, but noted that the Wallabies would be a tougher challenge.
'We are probably going to have to play better to test Australia. There's no doubt in our minds about that,' he said.
His Tongan counterpart Quddus Fielea regretted his side's many errors.
'I think tonight we were our own worst enemy. But in the end the best team won.'
However, Tonga flanker Nili Latu said that, despite not advancing to the knockout stage, his team had a good tournament.
'We are going away very proud,' Latu said.
Two more do-or-die matches will be held Saturday, with Wales meeting Fiji in Nantes to decide who advances from Pool B, and Scotland playing Italy in St Etienne to determine the second quarterfinalist from Pool C.
In addition, Pool B winners Australia play Canada in Bordeaux, and Pool C champions New Zealand meet Romania in Toulouse.
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MikeJan 5th, 2009 - 10:29:51
A great resource - many thanks!
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