The party came to an early end for England when they were knocked out during the quarter-finals by France. Martin Johnson(***)s men failed to reach their peak at the tournament after two successful World Cups in 2003 and 2007 [GALLO/GETTY]
Published On 21 Oct 201121 Oct 2011
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France overcame the loss to Tonga and controversy off the field to progress to the world cup semi-finals for the third time in a row. And they no longer had England to fear after defeating the team that had knocked them out of their last two World Cups. Vive La France! [GALLO/GETTY]
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Ireland and their fans were left rueing what could have been after falling to an aggresive Welsh team. It was a sad day for a number of the ageing Irish players including captain Brian O(***)Driscoll who are unlikely to take part in another World Cup [GALLO/GETTY]
Wales were the surprise package of the World Cup after strong performances in the group stages and a convincing win over Ireland. Their next hurdle was France in the semi-finals [GALLO/GETTY]
The Wallabies sent defending champions South Africa packing in their semi-final in a fairly unconvincing and messy match-up [GALLO/GETTY]
Wing James O(***)Connor kicked a late penalty to put the Aussies ahead. The game ended 11-9 to Australia in Wellington [GALLO/GETTY]
In the final quarter-final, New Zealand overcame a dogged performance by Argentina to set up a mouth-watering semi-final against arch rivals Australia [GALLO/GETTY]
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It was a nervy performance by the All Blacks however, and they were forced to rely on the kicking of Piri Weepu to rack up the points [GALLO/GETTY]
Losing to Tonga and then defeating England a week later it was anyone(***)s guess at which French team would turn up against Wales in the semi-final. Here the French team huddle in preparation for a match that could see them through to their third Rugby World Cup final [GALLO/GETTY]
Eden Park was full of supporters but so too was Millenium Stadium in Cardiff as Welsh fans gathered to watch their side compete for World Cup glory on the big screen [GALLO/GETTY]
The Welsh team took an early three point lead but a nation was left stunned when Wales captain Sam Warburton was harshly sent off early on by referee Alain Rolland of Ireland. It would take a huge effort from the remaining 14 men to hold on to their slim advantage [GALLO/GETTY]
Despite Wales scoring the only try of the match, France held on to a 9-8 victory to reach the final of the World Cup. [GALLO/GETTY]
Wales had blossomed during the tournament in New Zealand, however, fans were left wilting after their team came so close to the final. However, their success has planted a seed of hope for the future [GALLO/GETTY]
A dominant all-round display helped New Zealand book their place in the Rugby World Cup final as they saw off Australia 20-6 at Eden Park [GALLO/GETTY]
A delighted home crowd watched as New Zealand closed in on winning Webb Ellis Cup for the first time since 1987 [GALLO/GETTY]
After bitter disappointment against France in the semi-finals, the Welsh youngsters looked to secure third place in a play-off with Australia. Here Mike Phillips runs out for the clash at Eden Park [GALLO/GETTY]
However, it was to be Australia who walked away with bronze after defeating Wales 21-18. In a scrappy game, the Wallabies took the iniative to end their World Cup campaign on a high. Here Ben McCalman is congratulated by teammates Scott Higginbotham (L) and Adam Ashley-Cooper (R) after scoring his team(***)s second try [GALLO/GETTY]
