Thirlby scores his 35th try of the tournament

New Zealand retained their overall crown by reaching the last eight at Twickenham but were beaten 22-19 by the hosts in the final.

Tries from Rob Thirlby and Ben Gollings gave England a 10-5 lead at half-time.

And Henry Paul and captain Simon Amor touched down after the interval to delight the 19,000 crowd.

Thirlby was joint top scorer in the overall series with South Africa's Fabian Juries, both scoring 35 tries.

England coach Mike Friday said that he was "proud" of the way his players had seen off New Zealand.

"There are some very battered bodies in that dressing room but we showed patience and control during the game and it paid off," he said.

"I'm sure that both sides felt the effect of the last two tournaments but for us today it was all about mind over matter."