Smiles better for our grumpy old men

The Harlequins player dismissed as "rubbish" claims the players are just happy to have made it into Saturday's semi-final against France in Paris.

He said: "Can we beat anybody now? Absolutely. Definitely. Not many people gave us a chance against Australia and we are in the semi-finals - it's just unreal.

"Now, we have to get our bodies back into action and go again. There's too much mental belief and resilience in this squad to think along the lines of 'well, we've played our final in the quarter-final'. That's rubbish and anything can happen."

England's amazing 12-10 victory over Australia in Marseille stunned the sport and proved that the "grumpy old men" from 2003 who remain in the squad can still make their mark.

Now, Gomarsall is just one win away from keeping a promise he made to himself in the aftermath of England's extra-time win over Australia in Sydney four years ago - a victory he watched from the stands.

He explained: "I am so privileged to be here and it is an emotional time for me because four years ago, when I was sat in the stands in Sydney after we won the Cup, I made a promise to myself that I would be here."

"Winning the World Cup in 2003 was one of the best feelings of my life. But I have my own standards and I wanted to be in the team in Sydney. Andy Robinson, the former England head coach, is my witness because I said to him that night: 'In four years' time, I am going to be in the starting line-up, hopefully, in the World Cup final'. Slowly I am getting there and it will be a dream come true if it happens."

Given that just over a year ago he was sacked by Worcester with two years of his contract to run - the case for unfair dismissal is still on-going - his roller coaster career is truly remarkable.

In many ways, Gomarsall's tale sums up this current England squad; written off and consigned to the history books as pale imitations of the 2003 heroes.

England's battered No9 - he needed stitches in a head wound - and his team-mates are now off to Paris for the last two weeks of the Cup while Australia and pre-tournament certainties New Zealand deal with the fall-out of an early exit - both teams are now looking for new management for a start.

The semi-final in Paris will provide England with a very emotional moment before kick-off when Jason Robinson leads the team out to mark his 50th cap. It looked highly unlikely he would reach this milestone after injuring his hamstring against South Africa, but the full-back was in sparkling form against the Wallabies and is relishing delaying his retirement for another two matches.

Robinson joked: "It's nice to still be in the tournament and hopefully, Brian [Ashton] will give me that 50th cap! I still want a few more games in an England shirt. We have taken some flak over the past month, which is usual. There are some grumpy old men in the side, and the more you guys [the media] get on their back, the grumpier they become."