England have qualified for the quarter-finals of the Rugby World Cup courtesy of Japan's 28-22 win over Samoa in Toulouse this evening.
Both teams ran in three tries during the Pool D clash, but two second-half penalties from Rikiya Matsuda ultimately proved to be the difference as Japan held off a fightback from the Pacific Islanders to give their hopes of reaching the knockout stages a huge boost.
Pieter Labuschagne, Michael Leitch and Kazuki Himeno all went over for the 2019 quarter-finalists to put them into a 25-8 lead, with Seilala Lam providing Samoa's try just before half time.
Ben Lam saw a yellow card upgraded to red early in the second half after making contact to the head, and with a man disadvantage and a 17-point deficit, Samoa's chances to getting anything from the contest looked bleak heading into the final 20 minutes.
However, Duncan Paia'aua went over 15 minutes from time to give them hope and, while a Matsuda penalty extended Japan's lead back to 13, Samoa brought things back to within one score a couple of minutes from time through Christian Leali'ifano's try.
There was no time for a dramatic late winning score, though, as both Japan and England were left celebrating at the final whistle.
Despite Samoa's losing bonus point, they can no longer match England's tally of 14 points, guaranteeing England top spot in Pool D courtesy of their superior head-to-head record over both Argentina and Japan.
Steve Borthwick's side, who look on course to face Fiji in the quarter-finals, can now head into their final group game against Samoa with nothing riding on the result, whereas Japan will take on Argentina in what looks set to be a winner-takes-all match on October 8 for second spot in the group.
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