Smith subdued after England let it slip

A hollow victory was followed by a humiliating defeat, and now Smith must pick up the pieces from an extraordinary collapse that handed New Zealand a 36-24 victory and a significant psychological advantage going into next Saturday's semi-final.

But Smith is still clinging to the theory that one good performance could yet rescue England's World Cup campaign and said: "We've got one more shot at it - and if we do well there, we find ourselves in a Cup final."

He added: "That's what we're aiming for. What happened tonight will be well and truly forgotten next week, as long as we do the right things.

"Whether we won or whether we lost, we've got to win next week. We've just got to get everything together. We've got a lot to play for next week, and the scoreboard will be nil-all when we start."

Smith had rung the changes in a bid to find his right combinations but he was left with more questions than answers after a Jekyll-and-Hyde performance.

Centre Paul Sykes, shunted on to the wing and then to full-back in a mad-cap half-hour as England tried to plug the gap caused by an ankle injury to Paul Wellens, almost certainly played himself out of contention for a semi-final place with a shocking defensive display.

Hooker Mickey Higham was one player to enhance his reputation with a lively first-half performance, although he is still likely to make way for the return of James Roby.

"Some (played themselves) in, some out," said Smith. "We've seen everybody now.

"We can sit down and make sure we pick the right team and go on with it next week."