England Crash Out Of Rugby World Cup At Quarter-Finals

England Crash Out Of Rugby World Cup After French Onslaught

England have crashed out of the rugby world cup following defeat to France.

Vincent Clerc and Maxime Medard score first-half tries in a French onslaught that left England trailing by 16 points at the break.

Ben Foden pulled a try back in the dying minutes of the second half, but it wasn't enough to stop France claiming a deserved victory.

Les Bleus will now meet Wales, who earlier beat Ireland, in the semi-finals.

“It’s a painful experience,” said England fly-half Johnny Wilkinson after the game. “We gave ourselves a task in the second half… we fought hard and gave it everything… but it wasn’t our day.”

The defeat leaves manager Martin Johnson with an uncertain future, following an uninspired tournament from his team.

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