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Andrew Sheridan: The behemoth
Dewi Morris was happy to eat humble pie after getting it all wrong in the quart-finals, and is hoping for more of the same in the semis!
Last week on Sky Sports News, Dewi said that Brian Ashton has got it all wrong with his team selection for England's quarter-final clash with Australia and that they had no chance.
However England dismantled Australia's pack to chisel out a 12-10 shock victory and set up a semi-final against France.
"Well I have been eating humble pie and I hold my hands up to that," said Dewi.
"I didn't think they would beat Australia in that vein. Absolutely gutsy performance, pride and passion in the England shirt, something we had not seen before.
"The form guide suggested they couldn't do it, but they went out and absolutely annihilated Australia."
Coach Brian Ashton has not made any changes for their clash against France, a move that Dewi agrees with.
"He could not change it really, these guys went out and not necessarily saved his career, but have put England with a chance of making the World Cup final.
"From seven days ago you would not have thought that at all. They backed him with that performance, this is the team that took England to the semi-final, so this is the team that should play it."
Despite England's resurgence, Dewi is till not sure that this is the team that can beat France.
'Can they beat France? Well I didn't think they would beat Australia. But it is possible, anything it is possible and if they give that gutsy performance, they can go out and give France a game.
"My biggest concern is that we cannot rely on Wilkinson's boot all the time. We have to get tries. There were opportunities against Australia, but we are not putting them away.
"Taking nothing away from that performance, it was sensational from what had been before, one of the best performances since we won the World Cup. But we are two games from the final now, yes we can get there but we are going to have to get over the try line."
One of the key players for England against Australia was prop Andrew Sheridan, and Dewi is hoping for more of the same on Saturday night.
"Sheridan was just phenomenal. This is a big guy who is chiselled out of pure granite. He was colossal against Australia, his loose head performance was brilliant but the best thing about it was his carrying of the ball," explained the former England scrum-half.
"At last England are bringing this big behemoth onto the ball, crashing over Gregan and offloading to the likes Simon Shaw. We need to get behind the defensive line and that is exactly what they are going to have to do against France. And if he is in that vein of form, he will do it."
But the real question is, can England do it?
"I said no last week, so I will say no this week too. Hopefully that will have the same affect."
