September 8th, 2006
England skipper and Worcester player Jo Yapp said: “We are absolutely delighted to have beaten France and to do it twice in a year is a great feeling. France are a difficult side to play against but we went out there and played a great game and every player in our 22 squad made a real impact on the game. We have now achieved our aim of winning all our pool games and that gives us our place in the semi-finals. Playing Canada will be another tough match, especially because they are the host nation. They will have the home crowd on their side, but we are lucky enough to have several England supporters out here in Canada, who I know will be vocal enough to help us along our way.”
England and Henley wing Danielle Waterman said: “It was a great feeling to be out there today and be part of this team performance. I am really happy to be back in the starting line-up and to score two tries along the way was a great feeling. Those tries, however, were not just mine as everyone in the team contributed to getting those points on the board. This was a real team effort.”
England and Wasps prop Vanessa Gray said: “We are obviously all delighted to have beaten France and to have booked our place in the semi-finals. The way in which we won the game was especially pleasing. As a forward myself the pack had a tremendous game against a team who are famed for their powerful pack and backrow. We were fully aware of that before the game, but all our preparations have been about focusing on ourselves and what we do best and that certainly worked well for us.”
England vice-captain and Wasps player Sue Day said: “We are all feeling on a high after this win. It was nice for me to score two tries again but to be perfectly honest I don’t care who scores the tries as long as we get the points on the board. All the four tries came about as a result of a team effort and that is the most pleasing thing. Our forwards had a tremendous game as did the backs. Now we play Canada and that is going to be a massive game because we are playing the home nation, who have clearly got better and better as the tournament has gone on following their early disappointment against New Zealand in the opening round.”
England and Lichfield player Charlotte Barras said: “This was a really enjoyable game. There was a lot of pressure on us before the game because we knew we needed a win to ensure a good place in the semi-finals but we also knew that France can be a bogey side for us. Although we beat them in the Six Nations this year, they have proved in the past to be a very tough team who have beaten us on regular occasions. As a team we are all delighted because every player, from one to 22, played a part in this victory. We are going to savour the moment tonight and then tomorrow look forward to playing Canada in the semi-finals.”
England’s World Cup Schedule:
August 31st England v USA at Ellerslie Rugby Park, Edmonton,
KO 12am BST WON 18-0
September 4th England v South Africa at Ellerslie Rugby Park, Edmonton KO 9.30pm BST WON 74-8
September 8th England v France at St. Albert RFC, Edmonton
KO Mid-night BST WON 27-8
September 12th Semi-finals:
1st v 4th (M19), Ellerslie Rugby Park , KO TBC
2nd v 3rd (M20), Ellerslie Rugby Park, KO TBC
5th v 8th (M21), St. Albert, KO 9.30pm BST
6th v 7th (M22), Ellerslie Rugby Park, KO 9.30pm BST
9th v 12th (M23), St. Albert, KO 7pm BST
10th v 11th (M24), Ellerslie Rugby Park, KO 7pm BST
September 16th Consolation Finals (All Ellerslie Rugby Park):
Loser M21 v Loser M22, KO mid-night BST
Winner M23 v Winner M24, KO 9.30pm BST
Loser M23 v Loser M24, KO 7pm BST
September 17th Finals (All at the Commonwealth Stadium)
Winner M21 v Winner M 22, KO 7pm BST
Loser M19 v Loser M20, KO 9.30pm BST
Ends..
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