Oita (Japan) (AFP)
England is the first qualifier for the semifinals of the Rugby World Cup, thanks to its wide success over Australia (40-16) on Saturday in Oita (south).
In the semi-final on Saturday, October 26, the English will face the winner of the quarter-final between New Zealand, two-time world champion, and Ireland, played Saturday night in Tokyo.
Absent the semi-finals in the last two editions in 2011 and 2015, the England XV has largely dominated the Australians, scoring 4 tries and taking advantage of the success at the foot of captain and scorer Owen Farrell, author of 20 points at 100% .
Deprived of their last game against France on October 12 because of the passage of Typhoon Hagibis, the English have been dominating in all sectors and fed the many faults of the Wallabies.
"We did what we needed to do, we took the lead and Australia pulled all their strength into the battle," Owen Farrell said at the final whistle.
"The best team has won, that's how it is," said Michaël Cheika, the Australian coach.
© 2019 AFP