Prop Hannah Botterman delivered arguably a career-best performance to help England beat France 35-17 to reach the Women's Rugby World Cup final.
The 26-year-old held up three fingers to show how many turnovers she made in the first half, delivered the pass for Ellie Kildunne's opening try, and powerfully carried for 53 minutes.
Despite only playing just over a half of rugby after missing the quarter-final win over Scotland because of a back spasm, her performance was still in the mix for player of the match.
If anyone deserved to soak in the moment and celebrate reaching next Saturday's final against Canada at Twickenham, it was Botterman, especially after an injury the day before she was due to start the 2022 World Cup semi-final against Canada ended her competition.
England are ranked number one in the world and are on a record of 32-game winning run.
Reaching a home World Cup final was expected, but that can often bring more pressure.
However, England, and Botterman in particular, defended well to remain in front.
Hooker Amy Cokayne and Abbie Ward crossed in the second half to calm any fears of an upset, with Kildunne's second - an incredible individual score - adding sparkle to an attack that struggled to click.
When Megan Jones crossed with only a minute left, the scoreline was comfortable and England had found a way to seal their final spot without playing brilliantly.
Canada, in contrast, delivered a clinical first-half performance to score four tries against New Zealand in their 34-19 victory.
England head coach John Mitchell, who is yet to lose since taking the job after the 2023 men's World Cup, is not concerned about semi-final form heading into the final.
England will face Canada in the Women’s Rugby World Cup Final this Sunday at 3am at Twickenham Stadium.
Source BBC
