They went into the tournament ranked as the number one side in the world, having beaten every one of their rivals over the past 12 months.  | BACK PAGE HEADLINES Daily Mirror: Own goals The Independent: England must banish fear of failure Daily Express: I'm a believer Daily Star: You're beyond a joke pal Daily Telegraph: This is one of the most beautifully poised matches in living memory The Sun: Ignorant The Times: Pressure? What pressure? I know what I'm capable of The Guardian: The game of their lives Daily Mail: It's time to deliver |
But when England meet France in the Rugby World Cup semi-finals on Sunday they will do so not as favourites but as underdogs after some stuttering displays.
The crucial World Cup clash dominates the daily papers, with the Daily Telegraph's Paul Hayward catching the mood perfectly.
He writes: "This is one of the most beautifully-poised rugby matches in living memory, England are on the slide and France are on the up."
Many scribes have noted that England's star fly-half Jonny Wilkinson seems to be a shadow of his former self.
But under the headline in The Times "Pressure? What pressure? I know what I'm capable of", he seeks to reassure his nervous fans.
"I'm experiencing the scale of a World Cup semi-final right now, I want to taste a World Cup final too," writes Wilkinson.
The Daily Mail has a bold back page, with captain Martin Johnson standing in front of Big Ben under the headline "It's time to deliver".
The Sun has given over pages four and five of the paper to England's cause, printing a cut out of Wilkinson's foot and urging its readers to kiss it at 9am on Sunday to bring England luck.
But the paper cannot completely escape its football obsession and its back page reports the match under the headline "Heroes of 1966 will fire us on".
Jack Charlton played in the centre of defence when England beat Germany to win the 1966 football World Cup. He has sent a message to the team reading: "Be winners, it's what matters most."
And England wing Ben Cohen, nephew of 1966 winner George, tells the paper he wants to be able to say to his uncle: "I've got one too, mate".
The only other story to get a look-in is the on-going criticism of new FA boss Mark Palios, who has admitted making three mistakes in the recent saga surrounding Alan Smith.
The Mirror reports the story under the headline "Own Goals", while The Sun pulls no punches as it goes with "Ignorant", splashed over a picture of the under-fire FA chief.
MMIX
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