(CNN) England dismissed any lingering doubts surrounding its Rugby World Cup credentials with a dominant 40-16 victory over Australia to reach the semifinals.

After enduring some early Australian pressure, two first-half tries in quick succession from Jonny May handed England control of the match and despite an early flourish from the Wallabies at the start of the second half, a flurry of late points secured England an emphatic victory.

"I was pleased with how the players stuck at the game," England coach Eddie Jones told ITV after the match. "The first 20 minutes Australia had 75% possession, were moving the ball well and we had to defend.

"We hung in there, got some momentum back and took a couple of good opportunities which put us in a good position. They came back through an error of ours and it was one of those 'bring it on' moments -- and we stuck at it and I thought it was great.

"We're so excited about the semifinal, we can go there and challenge whoever we play and see where we can go with this team, we haven't been at our best yet and we need to see if we can find our best. I thought the players were outstanding."

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