Australia, England, France in Rugby World Cup quarters

Australia and France paid a price for reaching the Rugby World Cup quarterfinals on Saturday. The Wallabies lost winger Drew Mitchell to another injury, while France lost its last shreds of dignity.England lost nothing in scraping past oldest rival Scotland 16-12 with a Chris Ashton try three minutes from fulltime, setting up the tournaments first quarterfinal against another old foe France.France was uninspired, clueless and borderline fearful in a 19-14 loss in Wellington that earned tiny Tonga its greatest rugby victory. But at least the Tricolores were advancing.Theres no such certainty over New Zealand superstars Richie McCaw and Dan Carter, who withdrew with foot and groin injuries from the pool match against Canada on Sunday, sending a shudder through the host nation.The duo are the linchpins of New Zealands chances of winning the World Cup for the first time in 24 years, and the worst-case scenario for All Blacks fans is that both should be unavailable for the knockout rounds starting next weekend.South Africa also expected to lose its versatile backline star Frans Steyn, one of the 2007 winners, to a shoulder injury sustained in the torrid win over Samoa on Friday.With five of the quarterfinal berths filled, three of Sundays four matches will decide the rest: Argentina vs. Georgia, Wales vs. Fiji, and Italy vs. Ireland. Canada has been given little hope against New Zealand, but then Tonga wasnt given much hope against France, either.The French slipped into the quarters through the back door in losing to Tonga for the second time ever. Only Fiji in 1987 previously made the quarters with two pool losses.France should have been wiped out on the scoreboard, but Tonga bombed numerous try-scoring chances and usual dead-eye kicker Kurt Morath made only five of nine shots at goal. Even so, Morath set up Tongas try, his crosskick taken on the bounce by winger Suka Hufanga in the right corner.Scotland rose to the occasion of rugbys oldest rivals meeting for the first time on neutral ground with its most passionate effort of the tournament. It led on kicks 12-3 after 56 minutes but couldnt hold back Englands flair for the dramatic before more than 58,000 in Eden Park.The composed English rallied with a dropped goal and penalty from an off-key Jonny Wilkinson, who missed four shots at goal and two dropped goals. With a kickable penalty near the end, Lewis Moody opted for an attacking lineout. From there, the ball was spread wide and Ashton given an overlap to score in the right corner to break Scottish hearts.Ashtons tournament-leading sixth try earned England its first win on Eden Park in 38 years.Injury-plagued Australia cruised past Russia 68-22, but Mitchell pulled up with a left hamstring injury while racing toward what would have been his third try of the match at Nelson.The Wallabies earned the fourth bonus-point try they wanted inside 15 minutes, and fit-again flanker David Pocock proved his class before he was replaced at halftime while they led 47-5.