Wilkinson: We rode our luck
Wilkinson moves up to 955 points in his England career
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Friday, 28, Sep 2007 10:23
Jonny Wilkinson admitted England need to vastly improve if they are to retain the World Cup after the 36-20 win over Tonga.
The defending champions triumphed in the pool A eliminator thanks to a brace from Paul Sackey, tries from Matthew Tait and a first for Andy Farrell.
England will meet Australia in Marseille in the quarter-finals in a repeat of the 2003 World Cup final.
Wilkinson scored 16 points and needs just six more to smash Gavin Hastings' record as the highest points scorer in World Cup history.
The fly-half admitted England rode their luck against the Pacific islanders.
"We needed to hang in there and do the basics right," Wilkinson told ITV1.
"It was a tough night, and we were chasing shadows - and at times, just like Samoa, it was very close and could have gone either way.
"If you had said this morning 'you could have a win' I would have taken it. To win by a few points is satisfying - but we have a fair way to go."
Sackey continued his impressive tournament with two first-half tries.
The Wasps wing believes England can cause problems for the Aussies next week.
"If we get our performance right on the day we can cause a problem," Sackey told ITV1.
"We soaked up their pressure and got a good result.
"The decision-making between ten, nine and 12 was spot on today; we played our territory game and kept competing."