The Irish knew a win over Pool B minnows Kazakhstan would see them guarantee a spot in the semi-finals and they made no mistake with a commanding win over the Kazakhs.

They did not have it all their own way, however, and only held a slender 14-5 lead at the break.

But tries from Siobhan Fleming, Sharon Lynch and Vikki McGinn allied to the trustee boot of Jackie Shiels saw them power ahead in the second half and secure a famous win.

"We came here with a job to do and I think the strength of a good side is one that can adapt according to the game," said a delighted Irish captain Lynne Cantwell.

"There were nerves but we had it under control, the key thing was to keep it nice and simple and to allow all the new combinations to get up to speed.

"It was always going to take 20 minutes to click and we managed to put them away in the second half."

Jackie Shiels' accuracy from the tee helped Ireland pull away from Kazakhstan in the second half of their Pool B match in Paris ©Getty Images



After going down to their first loss in the Women's World Cup since 1991 against Ireland earlier in the week, four-time reigning champions New Zealand were reliant on other results to ensure they did not fail to make the semi-finals for the first time in history.

The Black Ferns had no problems seeing off the United States with a comfortable 34-3 win, but it was all in vain as a draw between England and Canada and a win for France was enough to see them through.

After two wins apiece over Samoa and Spain, the clash between England and Canada was always set up to be a Pool A decider.

The English knew a draw would be enough to see them top the pool on points difference and that is how it panned out, as captain Sarah Hunter's try was added to by two penalties and a conversion from Emily Scarratt.

Karen Paquin and Kayla Mack crossed the line for the Canadians and despite landing one penalty, Magali Harvey had a disappointing day with the boot missing two conversions and a penalty that would have won the game for Canada.

That left them sweating on the result between France and Australia in Pool C as both sides still had a chance of going through as the best placed runner-up.

But a first half penalty try and a five-pointer from captain Gaelle Mignot in the second period helped France to a 17-3 victory, ensuring they would be joined by Canada in the semi-finals.

A draw between England and Canada was good enough to see both sides make it through to the semi-finals at the Women's Rugby World Cup ©Getty Images



The Canadians relief will soon have to be forgotten as they will now take on the hosts at the Stade Jean Bouin in Paris in the semi-final on Wednesday (August 12), while old rivals England and Ireland will also battle for a place in the decider on the same day.

In today's other pool matches, Samoa beat Spain 41-5 while Wales ran out comfortable 35-3 winners against South Africa.

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