Ireland's prop Cian Healy (L) reacts next to Wales' hooker Huw Bennett (2nd R) and prop Adam Jones (R) after the 2011 Rugby World Cup quarter-final match Ireland vs Wales at the Wellington Regional stadium in Wellington on October 8, 2011. Getty Images/ GREG WOODGREG WOOD/Getty Images
France showed once again they are at their most dangerous when in apparent disarray by dumping England out of the rugby World Cup on Saturday.
The French, beaten twice in the pool stages, defeated the 2003 world champions 19-12 at Auckland's Eden Park in the second of the weekend's quarter-finals.
They will meet Wales, 22-10 victors over Ireland at the Wellington Regional Stadium earlier in the day, in next weekend's semi-finals.
France were defeated by hosts New Zealand and then suffered a humiliating loss to Tonga in the first round. Relations between coach Marc Lievremont and the team soured to such an extent that no player turned up to an informal social evening called to mend fences.
Still anyone with even a casual interest in rugby history, and in particular the 24-year saga of the World Cup, would have known that no team can defy the odds quite like the mercurial French.
At the semi-final stages they beat Australia in one of the great rugby matches in the inaugural 1987 World Cup and upset New Zealand after a staggering second-half comeback in 1999. Four years ago they defeated the All Blacks again, this time in the quarter-finals.
On Saturday their best players performed with all the pride and passion so abjectly missing against Tonga. Captain Thierry Dusautoir was magnificent in attack and defence on the side of the scrum and Dimitri Yachvili kicked the goals and orchestrated his team from scrumhalf.
"I don't know whether today we played an extraordinary game or beautiful rugby but we had 22 French players who really wanted to go on in this competition," Dusautoir said.
DISMAL ENGLAND
France's path to the semi-finals was eased considerably by a dismal England performance littered with basic errors on a day in which little went right for a side who have also been bedevilled by off-field controversies.
After France had stolen an England lineout winger Vincent Clerc evaded three would-be tacklers and spun in a complete circle before scoring the first of his team's two tries.
More indifferent defence allowed fullback Maxime Medard to score as France strode to a daunting 16-0 halftime lead.
Fullback Ben Foden and wing Mark Cueto scored for England in the second half but they were always chasing the game and a drop goal by replacement flyhalf Francois Trinh-Duc effectively sealed their fate.
In Wellington, left wing Shane Williams scored in the second minute against Ireland, who had defeated twice champions Australia in the first round to top their group.
Ireland failed to take advantage of the perennial Wellington southerly wind in the first half and trailed 10-3 at halftime.
A converted Keith Earls try early in the second half levelled the scores and the match was now nicely poised.
But scrumhalf Michael Phillips and centre Jonathan Davies epitomised the confidence and conviction which Wales have brought to the tournament by scoring excellent individual tries as the Welsh repeated their 1987 Wellington win over their Celtic rivals.
Sunday's quarter-finals feature Australia against defending champions South Africa in Wellington followed by New Zealand versus Argentina in Auckland with the draw now ensuring a final between the southern and northern hemispheres.