England sank sadly and definitively out of their own World Cup an embarrassing 15 days into the tournament, with four weeks still to play. It was close for a period during the second half but mostly this was white jerseys chasing a wild Aussie goose, and now the Wallabies and Wales will play the final Pool A match here next Saturday to decide their quarter-final path.
. They strained every muscle but were beaten by a more talented all-round Australian squad. The attacking brio of George Ford was introduced too late. The pool winners have a golden route to a quarter-final against the runners-up from Pool B, probably Scotland, while the runners-up contemplate a probable quarter-final with South Africa, and a semi-final against the winners of the New Zealand All Blacks’ last-eight meeting with France or Ireland.