Ashton: Hard work paid off

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Jonny Wilkinson kicked all of England's points as the defending world champions dug deep to defy the odds and reach the last four.

"I'm delighted for the players - we have put a tremendous amount of work in since the South Africa game and have reaped the rewards," Ashton told ITV1. "In the first 30 minutes we played some of the best rugby anyone's played against Australia in recent years."

Captain Phil Vickery added: "It was probably not the purest game of rugby - but it was fantastic to be part of.

"I don't know (how we did it) - a bit of belief, just doggedness and determination.

"We've had a tough tournament. It's been difficult, and we've been put under huge amounts of pressure. This result was fantastic for all the boys and English supporters."

Jason Robinson, playing his last tournament for England, said: "I think every man and his dog had written us off. But I said there was a good performance in us - and we showed that.

"We have world-class players and we can rise to the occasion.

"We just dug deep and believed in ourselves. Maybe only 30 people in the world [the squad] believed we would do it - but we stuck together and came out with a great win."