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Rugby World Cup: England vs New Zealand reaction

YOKOHAMA, JAPAN - OCTOBER 26: Captain's Owen Farrell of England and Kieran Read of New Zealand shake hands after the final whistle during the Rugby World Cup 2019 Semi-Final match between England and New Zealand at International Stadium Yokohama on October 26, 2019 in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. (Photo by Richard Heathcote - World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Images)
Captains Owen Farrell and Kieran Read (Credit: Getty Images)

England coach Eddie Jones paid tribute to his side's defensive effort as they stunned defending champions New Zealand 19-7 to reach the Rugby World Cup final on Saturday.

"We knew we'd have to come off the line hard. Keep taking away time and space from them. We managed to do that. Caused a few errors and we may have had a few lucky bounces and got the result," said Jones after the shock semi-final win.

READ MORE: England in World Cup final after epic win over All Blacks

YOKOHAMA, JAPAN - OCTOBER 26: Eddie Jones head coach of England during the Rugby World Cup 2019 Semi-Final match between England and New Zealand at International Stadium Yokohama on October 26, 2019 in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. (Photo by Lynne Cameron/Getty Images) ***Eddie Jones ***
England coach Eddie Jones (Credit: Getty Images)

"Our best form of attack is our defence. We create opportunities through our defence to attack," he added.

Meanwhile on twitter, Black Cap cricketer Jimmy Neesham captured his country’s sentiment by muting every relatable mention and English item that he could find.

His own World Cup foe, Stuart Broad, was having other ideas, however.

Captain Owen Farrell made a point of highlighting his side’s electric start. He said: "We felt like we had prepared well and we started the game well.

"Look, in all these big games, teams get physical. They go at each other from the off. We know that was going to come our way and we wanted to make sure we were playing that game too," added the captain.

YOKOHAMA, JAPAN - OCTOBER 26: Jordie Barrett of New Zealand and Owen Farrell of England embrace after the match during the Rugby World Cup 2019 Semi-Final match between England and New Zealand at International Stadium Yokohama on October 26, 2019 in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. (Photo by Richard Heathcote - World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Images)
Jordie Barrett and Owen Farrell embrace (Credit: Getty Images)

But spare a thought for the incredibly confident Kiwi fan who tattooed the Web Ellis trophy with a 2019 engraving onto his leg ahead of the game.

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