England are into their first Rugby World Cup final in 12 years after a brilliant demolition of three-time world champions New Zealand.

England had stormed into a 10-0 lead, Manu Tuilagi’s second-minute try and a long-range penalty from George Ford fitting reward for a blistering first half.

The 2003 winners could have been out of sight had tries for Sam Underhill and Ben Youngs not been ruled out by the video referee, but when Ardie Savea pounced on a wayward line-out throw to reduce the deficit to 13-7 the three-time world champions were on the charge.

Yet the superb Ford landed a trio of nerveless penalties and with the young dynamos Underhill and Tom Curry outstanding in the back row England held on in style to pull off one of their greatest victories.

The All Blacks had not lost a World Cup game in 12 years and had won 15 of the past 16 games between the two nations.

But England tore the crown from their head with a performance of unremitting energy and excellence on a night for the ages in Yokohama.

It was a start Eddie Jones’ men would have dreamed of.

Anthony Watson escaped down the right, England came in white-shirted waves and after Kyle Sinckler and Courtney Lawes crashed on, Tuilagi dived over from two metres out.

Farrell landed the conversion for 7-0 with only two minutes on the clock - and when Tuilagi picked off a stray pass from Beauden Barrett and found Jonny May accelerating up on his outside shoulder it looked for all the world like a second try, only for flanker Scott Barrett to get across and force the winger inside and into heavy traffic.

The pace was ferocious, England playing with a glorious tempo and precision, New Zealand using full-back Barrett as playmaker as they struggled to exert their usual control.

England went close again before Owen Farrell spilt the ball deep in the opposition 22, and then a possible try for Underhill was correctly ruled out because Curry’s run had blocked off two defenders.

But Jones’ men were dominating the set-piece and the breakdown, Ford sending a long-range drop goal just to the right of the posts as England searched for the points to match their endeavour.

The points finally came right on the half-time gong after Underhill won a breakdown penalty, and Ford - with Farrell struggling with a leg injury - landed a precious three points from 45 metres out.

If 10-0 was the least England’s dominance merited, it was a remarkable enough half-time scoreline.

Only once before have the All Blacks failed to score a point in the first half of a World Cup game, and not in 28 years.

Steve Hansen threw on Sam Cane for Scott Barrett in the second period but it was England who appeared to have struck the killer blow when Youngs darted over off a driving maul.

With the most kickable of conversions to come it looked like 17-0 and the game - but as Ford stood over his tee the big screens in the stadium showed a knock-on in the maul, and referee Nigel Owens, in consultation with the TMO, chalked it off to choruses of boos from the vast English support.

But Henry Slade came on for the struggling May and Dan Cole for a spent Sinckler and the white tide came again.

This time it was Billy Vunipola digging for the turnover, and with New Zealand infringing again in front of the posts Ford made it 13-0.

England were dreaming, but with 24 minutes still to go disaster struck.

Jamie George over-threw his line-out jumpers five metres from his own try-line, and Savea ran on to the ball and gratefully flopped over.

With Richie Mo’unga sliding over the conversion it was suddenly 13-7 and the outcome right back in the balance.

In a battle of heavyweights it was England who landed the next jab through Ford’s third penalty after another tenderising tackle by the indefatigable Underhill.

And with tournament favourites New Zealand running out of ideas as the game entered its dying moments and English tacklers pummelling their ball-carriers, Jones had pulled off yet another underdog triumph.

England head coach Eddie Jones on BBC Radio 5 Live: “What we’ve done is earn another week in the comp, which is great. I thought our tactical discipline was great, our defensive work-rate was good. I thought when we had opportunities to attack, we attacked well.

“You want to go right to the death and we’re in the death now. We’ve got another week to enjoy ourselves and work as a team. Our players made a commitment to each other that they’d enjoy the World Cup and I think we’re seeing that.

“Whenever you play against New Zealand, you’re never happy. You might beat them on the scoreboard but you never really beat them. They kept coming at us and we needed to dig deep and a find a bit extra.

“We’ve come here to be the world’s best and we haven’t done that yet, so that’s where we need to go.”

England: Daly; Watson, Tuilagi, Farrell (capt), May; Ford, Youngs; M Vunipola, George, Sinckler, Itoje, Lawes, Curry, Underhill, B Vunipola.

Replacements: Cowan-Dickie, Marler, Cole, Kruis, Wilson, Heinz, Slade, Joseph.

New Zealand: B Barrett; Reece, Goodhue, Lienert-Brown, Bridge; Mo’unga, Smith; Moody, Taylor, Laulala, Retallick, Whitelock, Barrett, Savea, Read (capt).

Replacements: Coles, Tuungafasi, Ta’avao, Tuipulotu, Cane, Perenara, Williams, J Barrett.

Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales); Assistants: Romain Poite (France), Pascal Gauzere (France); TMO: Marius Jonker (South Africa)

Source: BBC
-Agencies