8.17 – For Ireland, the World Cup dream is over. For England, France and their supporters, it is still very much alive. For the next 80 minutes at least.

Playing for the right to meet Wales in a World Cup semi-final, it’s England v France, live from Eden Park in Auckland. Don’t go anywhere.

8.21 – Here are your teams.

England: Foden; Ashton, Tuilagi, Flood, Cueto; Wilkinson, Youngs; Stevens, Thompson, Cole; Deacon, Palmer; Croft, Moody, Easter.

France: Medard; Clerc, Rougerie, Mermoz, Palisson; Parra, Yachvili; Poux, Servat, Mas; Pape, Nallet; Dusautoir, Bonnaire, Harinordoquy.

8.25 – So, no Mike Tindall for England means that Toby Flood and Jonny Wilkinson line out in the same starting XV.

Meanwhile, Marc Lièvremont has decided to play a scrum-half at number 10. Why? He’s Marc Lièvremont, why the hell not?

8.28 – The teams are out on the pitch and we’ll have the anthems presently.

I have to say, I half fancy France to cause a bit of an upset here. Inconsistent and infuriating as they are, you can never write them off, can you?

8.29 – I might be the first person to ever say this, but I love La Marseillaise.

8.33 – Steve Walsh is our match referee in Auckland. Jonny Wilkinson gets us underway. If this is half as good a game as this morning’s one was, it’ll be a beaut.

8.34 – A dangerous-looking grubber by Ben Foden threatens to release Chris Ashton, but Yachvili scrambles across to boot in into touch.

8.39 – Ouch. Manu Tuilagi is not a small man, as Morgan Parra just found out in the most painful of manners. The big England centre clobbers him with a high tackle, but they’re all back on their feet and ok.

England have started the better of the two, but there’s little to choose between them in these opening minutes.

8.44 – PENALTY! (Yachvili, 11′) No bother for the scrum-half who nails the kick at goal from all of 50 metres. If my stats are correct, he’s now 14/18 with the boot (penalties and conversions) at this World Cup. Not bad considering the problems most have been having. England 0-3 France

8.47 – Fast, flowing rugby by France takes them deep into English territory before Palisson is hauled into touch. Yachvili is being allowed to move the ball very quickly and that will definitely cause problems for England.

8.51 – PENALTY! (Yachvili, 16′) And he makes no mistake, slotting straight between the posts. It’s perfectly still in Auckland, couldn’t be more different from the wind-swept conditions in Wellington this morning. England 0-6 France

8.52 – MISSED PENALTY! (Yachvili, 18′) A let-off for England, who are called out for another infringement at the breakdown; they really need to cut these silly penalties out. They get away with this one, however, as Yachvili’s effort drops just wide.

9.03 – Tuilagi v Clerc — shaping up to be a right ding-dong battle.

Lynne Cameron/PA Wire/Press Association Images

9.10 – Less than five minutes to go until the break. England could do with some points — any points — just to get on the board.

9.12 – I don’t know about you but there is a whole lot of schadenfreude in my Twitter timeline at the moment. It seems like the only thing to soothe Irish heartbreak is English humiliation. Who would’ve thought it?

9.16 – A warning shot by the English backs who remind us just how lethal they can be. It’s Wilkinson’s link-up with Nick Easter which allows Toby Flood to free Chris Ashton. A nation full of French rugby fans (that’s France I’m talking about, not Ireland) holds its breath but Cueto knocks it on as he tries to wriggle free.

9.27 – Over on Facebook, Mike Gormley has offered his analysis of the first half.

If Ireland didn’t leave the dressing room then England didn’t even get off the team bus.

He’s not wrong.

9.28 – England have just re-emerged for the second half. France, on the other hand, have been out there for three or four minutes, jogging and getting fired up ahead of the second half. No resting on their laurels, it would seem.

9.29 – We’re back underway and, almost immediately, Toby Flood knocks the ball on.

This game isn’t beyond England yet, but it would greatly help their cause if they showed up and started to play a bit.

9.34 – Better from England in the opening minutes of this second half but again, they’re stripped of any sort of threat by a knock-on. The front row holds up well against the head in the scrum which should give them some encouragement.

9.42 – The French defensive line is more than equal to England’s efforts at the moment. The sheer effort of trying to turn this game around looks to have left England exhausted already; about four of the white jerseys are receiving treatment during a break in play.

9.43 – France wheel an English scrum 90 degrees. The self-belief is flowing through their pack at the moment. One more try will probably wrap this up.

9.46 – Interesting if true. Are France playing well because of Lievremont or in spite of him?

9.53 – In stark contrast to the first 55 minutes or so, England now look like they’re not going to go down without a fight. Probably don’t want to be labelled as “cheese-eating surrender monkeys” in the morning’s papers…

9.59 – Trinh-Duc and Clerc surge forward menacingly inside the French 22, but it’s knocked on in the tackle. An opportunity wasted, as Johno shuffles his deck by bringing on Haskell, Stevens, Wigglesworth and Banahan. Flood in at out-half with Banahan going in at 12.

10.03 – England’s composure deserts them at the key moment. They’re stretching the French defence and stretching and stretching, but Flood opts for a 50-50 offload to, em, nobody rather than taking the ball to ground and allowing his support to regroup. Shame.

10.06 – Twelve minutes on the clock as England try to run it out of their own 22 before knocking it on. Poor decision-making there by the English, they’re panicking.

10.09 – The French forwards pick and go five metres from the English line. A drop-goal would leave England needing two tries…

10.12 – I couldn’t let the morning pass without bringing your attention to Marc Lievremont’s magnificent ronnie. Magnificent.

Christophe Ena/AP/Press Association Images

10.18 – TRY! (Cueto, 77′) After what seems like an absolute eternity, the TMO awards the try. Flood misses the conversion which means that England have just less than three minutes to score a converted try and force a draw. England 12-19 France

10.21 – France have a penalty as the clock ticks over 80. Barring a disaster from Parra here, it is France who will play Wales next Saturday morning.

10.30 – *cough*

10.33 – That’s all I’ve got for you. It has been a long morning and I don’t think it’s unfair to say that those two results were not the results we expected.

I’ll be back at the crack of dawn tomorrow morning as Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Argentina stake their respective claims to join France and Wales in the final four. See you then.