England have been knocked out of the World Cup after a 19-12 quarter-final defeat to France in Auckland.
Martin Johnson's side started brightly but it was the French who opened the scoring through the boot of Dimitri Yachvili after 11 minutes.
The French kicker made it 6-0 shortly after, with England continuing to give away sloppy penalties as they have done throughout the tournament.
Vincent Clerc then crossed the line to extend France's advantage after England gave away possession from their own line-out.
France scored a second try on the half-hour mark, with Maxime Medard touching down to give his side a 16-0 lead, despite Yachvili missing both conversions.
Full-back Ben Foden reduced the deficit for England after the break, with Wilkinson converting the Northampton man's effort to make it 16-7.
France replacement François Trinh-Duc then put a close range drop goal effort through the posts before Mark Cueto crossed to give England late hope.
However, Toby Flood's missed conversion meant England required another converted try to bring the scores level and the French hung on to secure victory.
It was sweet revenge for France, who were knocked out by England at the 2003 and 2007 tournaments.
They will face Wales in the semi-finals next Saturday, after the Welsh defeated Ireland 22-10 earlier this morning.
Live commentary: England vs. France
Joe Fish
