LONDON (Reuters) - A maturing English cheddar cheese that has attracted a devoted worldwide following on the Internet showed its patriotic colors on Friday ahead of England's World Cup quarter-final against Australia.

Dubbed Wedginald by its many admirers, the cheese appeared on screen on Friday with an England rugby ball perched on top.

Defending champions England face Australia in Marseille on Saturday (11:00 a.m. EDT) in a re-match of the 2003 final.

Since it first appeared on the www.cheddarvision.tv Web site in late December last year the cheese -- which simply matures on screen in real time -- has attracted 1.6 million hits.

There are occasional spikes in viewing numbers when something like a tasting happens.

Otherwise it is deemed a soothing experience akin to but slightly more exciting than watching paint dry because, as with Friday's development, viewers can never be sure what comes next.