England booked their place in the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals with a gutsy 16-12 victory over Scotland at Eden Park in Auckland. After a poor first half with major problems at the set-piece, no space to attack and errors and poor discipline aplenty, England went into the break 3-9 down. With his side staring at World Cup oblivion, Johnson was faced with the most important half-time rallying call of his tenure. It obviously hit the right note because England wasted no time in finding the urgency that was painfully absent from their first half showing.

A last gasp try from winger Chris Ashton completed an impressive second-half comeback after the Scots had led 12-3 early in the second half. The victory ensures England will top Pool B with a clash with France awaiting them in the knock-out stages next weekend.

England team manager Martin Johnson will surely have a selection headache for England's quarter final against France, with most of the replacement making strong cases to start. Given how England have looked to play with pace and ambition for most of the past year and a half, England fans will be dismayed to see their players revert to a structured conservative and often ineffective gameplan against the limited opposition in Pool B. A lack of leadership is clear for all to see, and discipline and an error count both remain far too high for a team with ambitions to go all the way.

Regardless, England may not have produced their best rugby in booking their place in the last eight but at this stage the only thing that matters is they are four wins from four. Awaiting them in the quarter-finals are France who are reeling from back-to-back pool defeats and they will hold no fear. It could yet get a lot better for England. Although the rugby on display in knockout world cup matches is rarely vintage fare, from most nations, let alone England, it would surely be a criminal waste of the talent in Johnson's backline if they weren't brought into the game more. Toby Flood and Chris Ashton provided a glimpse of what's possible, but for that to happen on a regular basis, the basics up front need to be better. England have gotten out of jail in both their big Tests in the pool, and whilst victories ended up being deserved in both games, the challenges are about to get a lot tougher…

Player ratings:

Ben Foden: Still struggling to make the big impact he's capable of at the world cup, but willing as always to attack from deep. Stopped a certain try in the second half and had an accomplished, if otherwise quiet game. 6

Chris Ashton: Hardly touched the ball until ten minutes into the second half, his third touch was the match-winning score. Still a finisher of world class ability, but should look to get involved more when the ball doesn't come to him, as he did so well in the Autumn and Six Nations 6

Manu Tuilagi: Although well-shackled in the first half, performed strongly in the second. Put in a lot of big tackles and his strong carries setting the tone for England's improved display. 8

Mike Tindall: His defence is quoted as a strong part of his game, but too often came off second best in that department and added no impetus in attack. 5

Delon Armitage: Fully justified his selection in the team ahead of Mark Cueto. Secure under the high ball, excellent in defence and always a danger with ball in hand. Will be disappointed to miss the France match because of a high tackle. 7

Jonny Wilkinson: Apart from a typically strong defensive effort, took conservative and/or wrong options in attack, fluffed too many shots at goal and was unable to bring his backline into the game. 4

Ben Youngs: Poor quality possession in the first half not-withstanding, looked ponderous with the ball, threw sloppy inaccurate passes and was too afraid to inject tempo into a game that was crying out for it. Must, and can, do better. 4

Matt Stevens: Endured a horrible evening opposite a fired-up Euan Murray, who exposed his shortcomings at the scrum for all to see. Being a useful player in the loose was no consolation and the scrum improved greatly with him off the field. 3

Steve Thompson: Struggled in the first half and whilst he later upped his game in both the tight and loose, it was still a very subdued performance. Threw into a lineout that was under big pressure early on. 5

Dan Cole: Not one of his best games by any means, but improved considerably in the second half. Part of a pack that got the ascendency at the scrum and put in some big hits in defence. 6

Louis Deacon: Won ball at the line-out but will come under pressure from Tom Palmer after his impressive second-half cameo. 5

Courtney Lawes: His first match in three weeks and it showed, ran hard with the ball but made no significant impact. 5

Tom Croft: England's standout forward in the close quarters and the loose. Hit a few more rucks than usual and showed great acceleration and pace to save a possible Scotland try late on. 8

Lewis Moody: Didn't get into the game as much as he would have liked, and question marks about his leadership early on when a change of tactics was required, but led by example in the second half. 6

James Haskell: Disappointing after his impressive form this season, showed poor handling skills on more than one occasion. Made some big tackles, and tried to give his team some front-foot ball with his carrying, but he was well-shackled. 6

Replacements of note:

Alex Corbisiero: The scrum improved the instant the London Irish prop entered the fray.

Tom Palmer: Carried, scrummaged, mauled and put in some big hits in an strong cameo. Deserves to be nailed on to start.

Richard Wigglesworth: provided lightning quick, accurate passing that made England's attacking play look dangerous.

Toby Flood: brought his backline into the game and threw a wonderful try-scoring pass that Wilkinson would potentially not even have considered.