• Relived Deacon looking forward to France quarter
• They definitely have some great players – Deacon

A relieved Louis Deacon is looking forward to the RWC knockout stages after England recovered from a first half that “wasn’t particularly great” to beat Scotland 16-12 in last weekend’s Pool B decider.

Having played all 80 minutes of the bruising encounter at Eden Park on Saturday evening, the Leicester Tigers lock was quick to praise the resolve and tenacity of his side, who snatched victory through Chris Ashton’s last-gasp try.

“At half-time, we spoke about the need to build pressure so we could get back into the game in the second period,” Deacon explained. “We showed huge character because we were losing for most of the game.

“This team never gives up. In a way, we never really doubted we would win as we always felt we had something in the tank. In the end, the pressure told and we managed to get over for that score in the corner.”

Next up for Martin Johnson’s charges is a quarter-final clash against France, who suffered the a 19-14 defeat to Tonga in their final group match on Saturday.

However, Deacon refused to proclaim that England were overwhelming favourites for the contest and instead suggested that Les Bleus would represent a significant threat to England’s World Cup campaign.

“We don’t know what sort of French team will turn up at the weekend and that makes them dangerous,” said the 30 year-old, who now has 28 Test caps to his name.

“They definitely have some great players and a lot of flair in their backline. It is knockout rugby and they will not take a backward step. They will be smarting from the loss against Tonga so this will be a huge game.”