England expect to seal quarter-final place

England entered their third World Cup game today, knowing that victory over Pool C leaders Samoa would effectively seal a quarter-final place.

Head coach Clive Woodward made eight changes, including a positional switch from wing to full-back for Jason Robinson, as Iain Balshaw, Stuart Abbott, Jason Leonard, Mark Regan, Julian White and Joe Worsley all made their first tournament starts.

England were taking nothing for granted against the South Sea Islanders, whose ability to score tries from all areas made them a dangerous outfit.

But England, on paper, possessed sufficient forward power and set-piece organisation to preserve their 100% record and move closer towards a quarter-final appointment with Wales in Brisbane on November 9.

Harlequins prop Leonard, capped 109 times, set a new World Cup record of 18 appearances in his fourth tournament, breaking the previous mark set by former All Blacks skipper Sean Fitzpatrick.

Samoa though, also had a record-breaker in centre Brian Lima, whose 15th successive World Cup appearance created a new landmark.

The Telstra Dome was packed to its 55,000 capacity under a closed roof, and with perfect playing conditions guaranteed, World Cup 2003 seemed set for a thrilling encounter.