Farrell's boot sends England into World Cup semis

6 months ago 88

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England: (21) 30
Tries: Tuilagi, Marchant; Pens: Farrell 5; Con: Farrell; Drop-goal: Farrell
Fiji: (10) 24
Tries: Mata, Ravai, Botitu; Pen: Lomani; Cons: Lomani, Kuruvoli 2

Owen Farrell's boot took England to the Rugby World Cup semi-finals with a narrow victory against Fiji in Marseille.

England led comfortably by 14 points with 15 minutes remaining, when Fiji's Peni Ravai and Vilimoni Botitu both crossed in a frantic four minutes to level the score at 24-24.

Farrell, whose name was booed when the team was announced in the stadium after he was chosen over George Ford to start at 10, vindicated his selection as his drop-goal made it 27-24 with eight minutes remaining.

Another Farrell penalty in the 78th minute gave England slightly more breathing room. Nerves were high when Farrell's deliberate knock-on gave defiant Fiji a penalty with the clock in red, but England won the ball on the floor for a memorable victory.

After Ireland and Wales lost on Saturday, England are the last home nation in the tournament and on 21 October will face either hosts France or holders South Africa, whose quarter-final kicks off at 20:00 BST.

Either of those two sides will pose a significantly greater challenge for an England team who enjoyed their best performance of the tournament so far after a turbulent 2023.

More to follow.

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