Monday, 8th October 2007 at 11:07 am

First Australia crash out…

It may of been the case of one team playing not quite as badly as the other to squeeze out a win, but England won’t mind: with a ignominy of a 36-0 defeat by the Springboks still fresh in the mind (Feverpitcher realises that South Africa would thus have beaten the Wallabies 38-0), England nudged home 12-10, and suddenly a team that looked barely capable of making the quarters, is through to the last four.

And while Australia did look awful, part of the credit for that has to go to England, who put the Wallabies under an awful lot of pressure, and who kept their composure better than the Australians. On a weekend when all four favoured teams seemed affected by the expectation that they’d win, Australia failed to show any of the spark that had invited suggestion Gregan and Larkham might have a chance at saying farewell to international rugby with another World Cup win.

Instead, they’re on their way home, and Europe’s oldest rivalry will make up one half of the semifinals. France at home, buoyed on by a rabid crowd, against an England side that has somehow scrapped through to the semifinals. No one would have put money on that as a possible last four clash - least of all the Australians.