Hang on to your cowboy hats. England are into the Rugby World Cup final against Canada next Saturday and the tournament organisers can breathe again. Had the Red Roses slipped up in the semis the prospect of a finale likely to yield a record TV audience in Quebec was not quite the dream scenario they had been praying for.
But, goodness, the Red Roses made their fans perspire at times. At no stage did France ever back down and, without two scintillating tries from their curly haired golden girl Ellie Kildunne, England might have had a far less enjoyable afternoon. The final scoreline does not reflect how tight the game was for lengthy periods, nor the costly chances that France were crucially unable to convert.
