As Ireland's players sat in quiet contemplation of one opportunity missed, there grew a determination that the big chance shouldn't be allowed to pass by.

A new sporting rivalry was formed on the Headingley field. And though history will record an English victory, and the ending of Ireland's World Cup adventure, there now exists an undeniable desire for the Irish to keep their place in the international rugby league calendar.

"I thought we were unlucky tonight," said winger Brian Carney after emerging from an emotional dressing-room on Saturday. "We had our chances to win, we were the better team, unfortunately it wasn't to be. It's over, but we think there is a great future for Irish rugby league. The spirit in this squad has been unbelievable. Those guys in there have been a pleasure to play with. They are mates now, and they are mates for life after what we've been through."

The unthinkable became almost the unwatchable for the mostly English fans on the packed Headingley terraces. After going behind to an early Keith Senior try, Ireland made a passionate counter-charge. The inspirational Tommy Martyn and the powerful Michael Withers had both crossed for tries to give Ireland a lead which they held for nearly 30 minutes.

But by the time Withers had scored his second touchdown two minutes from the end, England had roared back into control of the game. Jamie Peacock, Tony Smith and Chev Walker all scored tries to break Irish hearts.

"We knew they would make it tough for us, and they did," admitted England skipper Andy Farrell. "That's the hardest game we've played in since Australia. They are a very good team and we had to be at our best."

The turning point of the game came 10 minutes after the break when Irish full-back Steve Prescott was sin-binned for 10 minutes for a professional foul. In his absence, Smith scored the try that gave England a 10-point lead and breathing space for the first time in the game.

"That sin-binning didn't help," admitted Carney, "but we also knocked on a couple of times in the first half when we had great chances to score. We just think we missed our opportunities tonight."

The noise from the terraces and the skip in the step of World Cup organisers after the game proved the Irish had again played their part in bringing to life a sometimes drab tournament. It will be hard now for Rugby Football League officials to ignore the claims of the Irish to a permanent place in the international fixture list.

"In the last world cup, the Welsh team had a fantastic run and a lot of enthusiasm for rugby league built up in Wales. But nothing was ever done about it and rugby league is back to square one there again," said Ireland captain Terry O'Connor.

"We can't let that happen in Ireland. We have got to keep working with the kids in Dublin and Belfast and we need some regular rugby league for them to watch. People have talked about having a five nations tournament in Rugby League, and now's the time to do it properly," he said.

At the very least, those who experienced the emotions of the first England v Ireland rugby league fixture will be hoping it won't be the last in their lifetime.

New Zealand swept into the semi-finals with a 54-6 demolition of France yesterday evening, Robbie Paul leading the way with a hat-trick of tries.

New Zealand, second favourites for the tournament behind Australia, started without six first-choice players but were still far too strong for the largely amateur French team.

Meanwhile, Wales lined up a formidable semi-final appointment with defending champions Australia, who beat Samoa 6-10 on Saturday, with a comfortable 22-8 victory over Papua New Guinea yesterday.