Live text – England v France

41 min: Eng 0-16 Fra The French give an early signal of how they are going to play this one. Harinordoquy and Nallet both stick the ball up the jumper and take it in short. No need for risky off-loads now.

0927: The French are on the field early and eager to get stuck back into England and finish off the job.

0921: England trudge off shell-shocked after being caught in the full force of a French hurricane in that first half. Is there any way back from here? It will require the sort of form that England are yet to show so far in this tournament.

40 min: Eng 0-16 Fra The final pass of the first half goes to ground as Ashton watches the ball disappear behind him as he gets ready to pin his ears back on the outside.

38 min: Eng 0-16 Fra Close, but no cigar. As England recycle quickly, Ashton canters down the whitewash and lobs a pass inside for Cueto, but the winger is dragged down as the line beckons.

38 min: Eng 0-16 Fra A nice half-break by Wilkinson before he shovels the ball out of the back door to Easter on the charge.

37 min: Eng 0-16 Fra It looks as if this onslaught has ruffled even the usually composed Ben Foden. The full-back attempts a quick line-out but is hauled back by the referee as he carried the ball out of play himself in his eagerness.

33 min: Eng 0-16 Fra Wilkinson flicks the ball inside to Cueto coming steaming in off his wing, but the Sale man fumbles. Still it is not clicking for England in the backs.

TRY ENGLAND 0-16 FRANCE

27 min: Eng 0-11 Fra Dusautoir peels off the subsequent line-out to take France up to within five metres. Massive pressure.

26 min: Eng 0-11 Fra Louis Deacon concedes his team’s fifth penalty inside the opening 30 mins as he is too lazy in his running back through the French backline for referee Walsh’s taste.

25 min: Eng 0-11 Fra England struggling to capitalise on half-chances. Toby Flood snatches at a drop-goal which trails well wide before Tuilagi’s powerful break, bravely halted by Yachvili, is squandered as Cueto knocks on out wide.

TRY ENGLAND 0-11 FRANCE

20 min: Eng 0-6 Fra Stevens is having a right old tussle with Mas in the front row but he gets the benefit of the doubt from referee Steve Walsh at a scrum close to the England line.

17 min: Eng 0-6 Fra Impressive stuff from Yachvili as he slots another pearler. Matt Stevens then gives away yet another penalty as he hangs on on the ground, but he is let off as the number nine’s radar is slightly off kilter with his third attempt.

PENALTY ENGLAND 0-6 FRANCE

15 min: Eng 0-3 Fra Matt Stevens gives away his sixth penalty of the tournament – more than any other player – as he slips out in the scrum and Yachvili will take this one on.

14 min: Eng 0-3 Fra Morgan Parra opts to chance a snap drop-goal but it is an ugly wobbler which snakes wide of the sticks.

13 min: Eng 0-3 Fra Vincent Clerc holds off ngs and Cueto to make ground up the left wing as the French move up to within ten metres.

9 min: Eng 0-3 Fra Scrum-half Dimitri Yachvili strikes it clean and true through the uprights to give France the lead. Jonny Wilkinson sends the restart drop-kick sailing out on the full.

PENALTY ENGLAND 0-3 FRANCE

8 min: Eng 0-0 Fra Tom Croft gets across to shut down the space for Palisson, but Toby Flood gives away a penalty as he fails to release the tackled French attacker in the next phase.

4 min: Eng 0-0 Fra Manu Tuilagi charges in and parks Morgan Parra on his backside with another big hit. Fierce stuff from England.

3 min: Eng 0-0 Fra Great tempo from England in defence as well as Ashton splatters oppo number Alexis Palisson as he chases down a high kick.

3 min: Eng 0-0 Fra Nallet pinches Thompson’s line-out throw at the front and France clear their lines to ease the pressure.

2 min: Eng 0-0 Fra All the adventure is coming from England as they spin the ball again. Foden, up from full-back, nudges a grubber through for Ashton to chase, and Dimitri Yachvili is forced to hack into touch and concede a line-out on his own five-metre.

1 min: Eng 0-0 Fra Bright opening from England as Flood looks for Manu Tuilagi who charges up the touchline before being ushered into touch.

0831 BST:Here are the starting line-ups:
England: Ben Foden (Northampton Saints); Chris Ashton (Northampton Saints), Manu Tuilagi (Leicester Tigers), Toby Flood (Leicester Tigers), Mark Cueto (Sale Sharks); Jonny Wilkinson (Toulon), Ben ngs (Leicester Tigers); Matt Stevens (Saracens), Steve Thompson (London Wasps), Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers), Louis Deacon (Leicester Tigers), Tom Palmer (Stade Francais), Tom Croft (Leicester Tigers), Lewis Moody (Bath Rugby, capt), Nick Easter (Harlequins)
France: Maxime Medard, Vincent Clerc, Aurelien Rougerie, Maxime Mermoz, Alexis Palisson, Morgan Parra, Dimitri Yachvili; Jean-Baptiste Poux, William Servat, Nicolas Mas, Pascal Pape, Lionel Nallet, Thierry Dusautoir (capt), Julien Bonnaire, Imanol Harinordoquy

0830 BST:God Save the Queen done and dusted by England captain Lewis Moody and his men, his oppo number, Thierry Dusautoir, stares moodily into the middle distance as the French exercise their own vocal cords.

0811 BST: The big selection news was Johnson’s decision to pair Jonny Wilkinson and Toby Flood at fly-half and inside centre to give himself kicking options of either foot in the backline. Tom Fordyce is on the ground for BBC Sport at Eden Park and counted up two misses from three place-kick attempts from Wilkinson in the warm-up. Hmmm.

0800 BST: In each of the last World Cups, England have sent the French home as they made their way into the final. Encore une fois or third time lucky for the mercurial Gauls?