Reaction: England book quarter-final berth
September 28, 2007

England got the basics right - Wilkinson

Jonny Wilkinson claimed England got the basics right in Paris tonight as they sealed their place in the World Cup quarter-finals.

The fly-half's boot - along with two tries from Paul Sackey and further touchdowns by Andy Farrell and Mathew Tait - was enough to see off Tonga 36-20 in the Pool A decider and set up a clash with Australia.

Sukanaivalu Hufanga and Hale T Pole crossed for the islanders - but after a nervy opening, England were well in control for the majority of the match.

"We needed to hang in there and do the basics right,'' Wilkinson told ITV1.

"It was a tough night, and we were chasing shadows - and at times, just like Samoa, it was very close and could have gone either way.

"If you had said this morning `you could have a win' I would have taken it. To win by a few points is satisfying - but we have a fair way to go.''

Double try-scoring hero Sackey believes England sent out a message to their World Cup rivals with tonight's effort.

"If we get our performance right on the day we can cause a problem,'' he told ITV1

"We soaked up their pressure and got a good result.

"The decision-making between 10, nine and 12 was spot on today; we played our territory game and kept competing.''

Of the looming clash with the Wallabies, he simply added: "We'll think about that next week.''

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