England secures a spot in the Rugby World Cup final after defeating New Zealand

England delivered an impeccable performance against an unrecognizable New Zealand XV in the match held today at Yokohama Stadium (southern Tokyo). This victory earned them a place in the final on November 2nd, where they will face the winner of the second semifinal between Wales and South Africa, taking place this Sunday in the same city.

With this unexpected win, England is now a serious contender for their second World Cup title, defeating a team considered to be among the best in rugby history, which was aiming for its third consecutive championship and fourth overall.

The first half was clearly dominated by England, who were effective in all aspects of the game and made no defensive concessions against a seemingly stunned New Zealand on the verge of playing their fifth World Cup final.

Less than two minutes into the match, England scored a try with a great play that involved swift passes and determination in the final meters, resulting in a try by Manu Tuilagi, converted by Owen Farrell (7-0). Tuilagi became the leading try scorer of the tournament with six tries.

The All Blacks tried to regroup and take control of the predominantly English possession, but the fast-paced game led to numerous errors, mainly from the Oceanic XV, and continuous interruptions.

England, determined in the opposition's half, managed to score a second try around the half-hour mark, but it was disallowed by the referee due to an obstruction in attack.

This play seemed to momentarily awaken New Zealand, who repeatedly tried to break through the English defense, especially on the left flank, but to no avail.

The first half ended with a penalty converted by George Ford, leaving the score at 10-0. This was the second time in a World Cup that New Zealand failed to score in the initial 40 minutes.

England's dominance continued in the second half and resulted in another try-scoring opportunity after an error by the All Blacks, but the play was again disallowed due to a forward pass in a maul.

However, England did manage to extend their lead with another penalty converted by Ford in the 50th minute (13-0).

The game was uphill for the New Zealanders, subjected to the high pressure and discipline of England, and unable to find spaces.

Nevertheless, a run by Sevu Reece led to some hope for the All Blacks as they approached the try line. During an ensuing lineout in England's favor, Ardie Savea stole the ball and scored a try in the 57th minute. The conversion by Richie Mo'unga brought the score to 13-7.

Up until that point, England had played an almost perfect match and continued in that vein, while New Zealand's inability translated into penalties conceded. Ford converted two penalties in the 63rd and 69th minutes, increasing the score to 19-7.

With several fresh players, England maintained their defensive focus in the final stretch, and by then, it appeared that New Zealand's only hope would come from their opponents' mistakes or an epic comeback.

In fact, it was England who had opportunities to score more points in the final minutes, although Ford missed another penalty this time.

The final whistle unleashed the jubilation among the English fans in the stands of Yokohama Stadium, which was almost full with around 68,200 spectators.

England and New Zealand had previously faced each other 41 times, with 33 victories for the Oceanic team, seven for England, and one draw. They had crossed paths three times in World Cup tournaments, with all three victories going to the All Blacks.

With today's win, England secures their fourth World Cup final appearance, following their previous ones in 1991 (with a defeat against Australia), 2003 (with a victory against the same country), and 2007 (defeat against South Africa).