England's Tom Palmer and France's David Marty compete for the ball

England's unimpressive 2011 Rugby World Cup campaign came to an abrupt halt after yet another feeble display in New Zealand. In their quarter-final match at Eden Park, England were beaten 19-12 by a resurgent French team. In the earlier kick-off, Wales came out on top against Ireland with a score of 22-10 after an imperious defensive display.

Ireland started their quarter-finals as minor favorites against the Welsh, particularly given their impressive win over Australia. But it was the Welsh who impressed from the start with a try from Shane William in the opening minutes. Despite a sustained spell of pressure following Williams' try, the Irish couldn't convert their initial dominance in to points, largely down to turning down the option to kick for goal on two occasions. Whilst Wales were proving to be impenetrable in defense, the same could not be said for Ireland and in the end that proved to be much of the difference between the two sides. The result means that Wales are in the semi-final of the World Cup for the first time since 1987 and are the only British side left in the tournament.

In the later kick-off, it was the battle of two teams who have come under intense scrutiny in the tournament so far. England had come under fire for their uninspiring victories in the group stages and France had been slated for their embarrassing defeat at the hands of Tonga. England went into the match as favorites, but there was no evidence to suggest superiority in the match's early stages. A couple of penalties from Yachvilli put the French into a 6-0 lead early on and from that point they never relinquished the lead. France pushed on to take a 16-0 lead at halftime and did enough to repel any notions of an English fight-back in the second half. The French proved that despite their flawed group stage performances, they are a team that comes alive in the knockout stages.

France will compete with Wales for a place in the World Cup Final on Oct. 15.