And so England, just about, march on, the Red Roses winning machine and the 82,000 that will accompany them rolling into Twickenham next week. How hard they had to work, though, to book their ticket to their own party; how deep they had to go to overcome a French wave that threatened to sweep away their World Cup dreams.
Forget the final scoreline, an 18-point margin not reflecting how close a contest this had felt. If the first semi-final between Canada and New Zealand had produced a performance to remember, this was a final-four clash of old school charm – niggly, nervy, and contested with hellacious physicality in spaces open and tight.
