Final, England - 20, Australia - 17
TOURNAMENTS: RUGBY WORLD CUP 2003
Extra-time drama as England win World Cup 22/11/03
No fairytale RWC Final for home side England are the new Rugby World Cup champions, with a Jonny Wilkinson drop-goal in the last minute of extra-time handing them a 20-17 win over a game Wallaby side at the Telstra Stadium in Sydney on Saturday. The English deserved to raise the Webb Ellis Cup after 100 minutes of drama, excitement, tries (yes, tries!) and bravery, with skipper Martin Johnson quick to pay tribute to his players, the management and a horde of English fans who made the trip out to Australia.
It was a fairytale win for the English, but a win they had to fight for until the bitter end, despite enjoying a 14-5 half-time lead. The Wallabies got off to an excellent start, but it was a stupid moment from England loosehead prop Trevor Woodman - a swinging arm at a maul - that made life a lot easier for them. The home side kicked to touch from that penalty and won a free-kick. They opted to scrum and instead of going wide, Stephen Larkham hoisted a pin-point bomb onto Jason Robinson, who was out-jumped by fellow Rugby League convert Lote Tuqiri. Waratahs star Tuqiri got higher than his smaller opponent, ripped the ball out of the air and crashed over. Elton Flatley missed the tricky conversion attempt, but it was advantage Australia. Big time.
England, however, did not panic.
They simply put their heads down and got stuck in. Even Woodman did, but not before trying a silly little inside pass, which went forward, and conceding another penalty - this time at scrum time. But it mattered little.
Australia were not able to punish those indiscretions and Wilkinson had, in the meantime, slotted two penalties. The Wallaby effort, meanwhile, took a slight knock when their kingpin, Larkham, was forced into the blood bin after taking a Ben Cohen boot in his face - when he was to blame for tackling England's monster winger without the ball. That indiscretion gave Wilkinson his second shot at goal. Matt Giteau was always destined to replace Larkham in the match, but he came on some time earlier than anticipated, his first few touches did not convince - as Wilkinson slammed him into Stadium Australia's turf the first time he had a go at the defence himself.
England's head coach, Clive Woodward.
Larkham did come back on, but he made another two trips to the blood bin and his return always saw the Wallabies' level of play reach new heights. Giteau, to be fair, did not do badly, but Larkham was able to pick his runners out with some wonderful skip passes, and his tactical-kicking in the final few nervous moments of extra-time kept his side in with a chance. While Giteau struggled to get into the game, team-mate Wendell Sailor was still waiting for his first touch and the first effect he had on proceedings saw Mike Tindall bowl him over on a fine run deep into Wallaby territory. Tindall brushed him off with minimum fuss, but eventually two Wallabies took him into touch. The Wallabies won their line-out ball easily enough, but erred soon afterwards when Mat Rogers missed touch. Jason Robinson carried the ball back and set up a ruck on the left. Suddenly Lawrence Dallaglio burst onto the ball at pace and broke through the defence, he tossed the ball to the right, to Wilkinson, who then spun it out left to Robinson, who went low and slid over in the defence. Sailor was not there, which made things a bit easier, but even if he had been there it is doubtful that he would have stopped the little dynamo. It was advantage England just minutes before half-time and they went into the break at 14-5 up - and ominous sign if ever, as no side leading at half-time had ever lost a World Cup Final. The second half seemed to lack the intensity of the first stanza, but England seemed to go to sleep, allowing the Wallabies back into the game, with Flatley chipping away at their lead with penalties in the 48th and 61st minutes - leaving England ahead by just three points at 14-11.
England did not really have many chances in the second half to put points on the board. Wilkinson did not have any shots goal, with Australia's discipline a key feature of the second half, while he also missed a drop-goal attempt. But England did not step up the expected level when the match was there to be finished off. Also, Wilkinson seemed to move away from first-receiver and he was not able to stamp his authority on the game at a crucial stage. The Wallabies, however, deserve credit for hanging in there, eventually forcing a penalty in the England 22 when Trevor Woodman stood up in a scrum, giving Elton Flatley a tough angle at the posts. But the Queensland fly-half, the Wallabies' vice-captain, did not disappoint and he stepped up and calmly put the kick over to tie the scores at 14-14. The game then went into extra-time after a five-minute break. The rules laid down 10 minutes either way, with a five-minute interval. If the scores were still tied there would be another five-minute break and a further sudden-death 10-minute period of extra-time. If no winner had been declared after the second bit of extra-time, a drop-goal competition would have been the next step. Of course, meaningless and illogical. Thankfully, it did not get to that - a man only has so many nails to chew! - but it would have been sad had this match been decided on a few drop-goals.
But wait ... The match was decided on a drop-goal. But it was a drop-goal that was well-crafted, a drop-goal that required a huge build-up, and a drop-goal that came after Flatley had once again managed to equalise things shortly before the final whistle. Wilkinson opened the scoring early in extra-time when Wallaby lock Justin Harrison conceded a silly penalty, and Flatley kicked his fourth penalty after some England hands in the ruck were spotted by South African referee Andr� Watson, who must be commended for yet another fine refereeing display in his second successive World Cup Final. With just three minutes remaining, the drop-goal was always going to be on. It looked set to happen from way out, but Matt Dawson caught the tense Aussie defence napping to scoot through and set up a ruck in the Australian 22. Neil Back flung the ball out to his skipper Martin Johnson who bashed it up one more time and then Dawson got back to his feet for one final pass, which saw one final swing of Wilkinson's right boot. Wilkinson had done it. England had done it. Australia so very nearly managed to do it. It was a terrific Final, a terrific World Cup as a result and a very nerve-wracking 100 minutes of Finals rugby. Man of the match: Where to start? For England skipper Martin Johnson was once again a colossus - tackling, running and jumping for 100 minutes. Richard Hill, too, was excellent, and Matt Dawson and Will Greenwood showed cool heads, and Jason Robinson thrilled every time he touched the ball. For the Wallabies, Bill Young and Justin Harrison grafted non-stop, while fly-half Stephen Larkham and centres Elton Flatley and Stirling Mortlock deserved better. However, you just cannot ignore the claims of one man - England's No.10 Jonny Wilkinson. Say he's boring, say he's not quick enough. But he certainly knows how to win a match and they do not come any bigger than this. A class act on defence, with some thunderous hits in the midfield, and the sweetest boot in world rugby.
Moment of the match: Just one moment - Wilkinson's drop-goal that gave England the win just seconds before the final whistle in the second half of extra-time. What a nail-biting finish to a memorable match! And, yes, what a player. Villain of the match: This game was an absolute stunner. Forget trying to wind the English up with the 'boring' or 'one-man show' jibes. This was an absorbing contest and about as exciting as any Final could be. Our villain then? Without doubt Trevor Woodman. Not too many unsavoury incidents, but Woodman's very stupid swinging arm gave the Wallabies their momentum early on and very nearly allowed them to steal the Webb Ellis Cup from under England's noses. Two crucial Ben Kay knock-ons in the closing stages of the game - and his first-half howler when he knocked-on with an open tryline - deserve a mention here, too!
The scorers:
For Australia: Try: Tuqiri Pens: Flatley 4
For England: Try: Robinson Pens: Wilkinson 4 DG: Wilkinson
The teams:
Australia: 15 Mat Rogers, 14 Wendell Sailor (Joe Roff, 70), 13 Stirling Mortlock, 12 Elton Flatley (vice-captain), 11 Lote Tuqiri, 10 Stephen Larkham (Matt Giteau, 18-30, 55-63, 85-93), 9 George Gregan (captain), 8 David Lyons (Matt Cockbain, 56), 7 Phil Waugh (vice-captain), 6 George Smith, 5 Nathan Sharpe (David Giffin, 48), 4 Justin Harrison, 3 Al Baxter, 2 Brendan Cannon (Jeremy Paul, 56), 1 Bill Young (Matt Dunning, 92). Unused replacement: 20 Chris Whitaker.
England: 15 Josh Lewsey (Iain Balshaw, 85), 14 Jason Robinson, 13 Will Greenwood, 12 Mike Tindall (Mike Catt, 78), 11 Ben Cohen, 10 Jonny Wilkinson (vice-captain), 9 Matt Dawson, 8 Lawrence Dallaglio, 7 Neil Back, 6 Richard Hill (Lewis Moody, 93), 5 Ben Kay, 4 Martin Johnson (captain), 3 Phil Vickery (Jason Leonard, 80), 2 Steve Thompson, 1 Trevor Woodman. Unused replacements: 16 Dorian West, 18 Martin Corry, 20 Kyran Bracken.
By Howard Kahn
Post-Final ratings - How Australia rated 22/11/03
Wallabies push England all the way
The Wallabies can leave the 2003 Rugby World Cup Final with their heads held high. What game - pulsating, energy-sapping, nerve-wrecking ... any proverb you can think of! We rate the Wallabies, who pushed Martin Johnson's England side until the bitter end.Blood bin: Stephen Larkham makes a trip to the sidelines
FULLBACK: MAT ROGERS He did not live up to expectations as the pressure seemed to get to him. Early on he forced a pass and it went into touch. He kicked several poor grubbers and on occasions he did not find touch - one of which resulted in Jason Robinson's try. He also gave away a crucial penalty in extra-time. Player rating: 5/10
RIGHT-WING: WENDELL SAILOR What a disappointment! He did not touch the ball on attack once, disappeared for large periods of the game and looked lost for most of the game. He was out of position on defence on numerous occasions and also missed a crucial tackle on Mike Tindall. He did manage to tackle England hooker Steve Thompson once, but then his opponent was hardly moving. Player rating: 2/10
OUTSIDE CENTRE: STIRLING MORTLOCK One of the outstanding players on the day. Rock solid on defence and as always a powerful runner. He often breached the advantage line, even with limited opportunities. He made one very good break and also scrapped well for the ball on the ground in midfield situations. Player rating: 8/10
INSIDE CENTRE: ELTON FLATLEY Another of the Wallabies who stood up on the day and matched his opponent(s) up to the very last minute. But most of all there were those two crucial penalty kicks. Even though he kicked just four from seven, that 80th minute kick to push the game into extra-time and the 97th minute kick that levelled the scores to almost send it into a sudden-death extra period showed he is a world-class campaigner. Player rating: 8/10
WING: LOTE TUQIRI The only real success story of the Wallabies' Rugby League recruits. From his brilliant take of the high ball for that opening try in the fifth minute, through to a number of good tackles and strong running on attack. Not to forget his brilliant cover defence and recovery when the ball was kicked behind him. Player rating: 8/10
FLY-HALF: STEPHEN LARKHAM If only Australia had a few more Stephen Larkhams, they could have walked this Final. He was their standout player, moving the ball around brilliantly and effortlessly, always taking it away from the pressure points. His defence was also impressive for a fly-half not renowned for his tackling. He had a few good runs, and kicked smartly, with his only blotch being one kick that went directly into touch. Player rating: 9/10
SCRUM-HALF: GEORGE GREGAN (CAPTAIN) He had an ordinary game by his lofty standards and for most of normal time he did little more than just pass the ball. One or two of his options were questionable and then there was that hospital pass he threw to Tuqiri. In extra-time he stepped up a bit and finished with a very neat little grubber late in the game. He needed more of that. Player rating: 5/10
NO.8: DAVID LYONS Probably the biggest disappointment of the entire Wallaby side and it is surprising that he was not replaced much earlier by Matt Cockbain, who came on in the 56th minute. Lyons gave away some crucial penalties, including one which resulted in Jonny Wilkinson kicking the first three points for England and then one when Australia were on the attack inside the England 22. Player rating: 1/10
NO.7 FLANK: PHIL WAUGH He started like a house on fire and put in some really big hits on defence. But as the game wore on he became less effective and ended having a very ordinary day at the office. The turning point came when he was penalised in the 27th minute during a crucial play and he then seemed rattled, making more and more mistakes as the match progressed. A lot of good work early on was undone. Player rating: 5/10
NO.6 FLANK: GEORGE SMITH He also had a brilliant first half and really tackled well in tandem with Waugh. Also ran strongly, but like Waugh he started making mistakes in the second half and in extra-time was totally ineffective, even giving the ball away by taking the wrong option in play. Player rating: 5/10
NO.5 LOCK: NATHAN SHARPE He did everything you could expect of a lock and then some. He could be one of the Australian stars in years to come if he can build on this performance ... which was on the biggest stage of them all. He took his line-out balls when he needed and tackled like a demon in phase play. He carried the ball well and made only one mistake, missing a line-out take. He was replaced early in the second half by David Giffin. Player rating: 7/10
NO.4 LOCK: JUSTIN HARRISON Another of the Wallabies who showed their class and stood up to the mighty Martin Johnson. His line-outs were secure, when the ball was actually thrown in his general direction and his defence was faultless. He cannot be faulted for his ball in hand play either. He did give away a penalty in extra-time, but otherwise can be proud of his efforts in the play-offs. Player rating: 7/10
TIGHTHEAD PROP: AL BAXTER He seemed to be under pressure in the scrums and even though he got better as the game wore on, he had a rather quiet day. He only made the occasional play outside of the scrums. Player rating: 5/10
HOOKER: BRENDAN CANNON Along with Sailor and Lyons he was one of the shockers on the day. His line-out throwing was pathetic, and on at least two occasions three successive line-outs went astray. He only occasionally made an appearance in general play. He should also have been replaced earlier. Player rating: 2/10
LOOSEHEAD PROP: BILL YOUNG He also did not have a good day at the office. Apart from struggling in the scrums, he also gave away a crucial penalty for going in at the side of the ruck when the Wallabies were desperate to keep the ball on the attack. There was one good pick and run from him later on. Player rating: 4/10
REPLACEMENTS:
MATT GITEAU: He was on and off for the bleeding and very brave Larkham - making three appearances: from minutes 18 to 30, 55 to 63 and 85 to 93 - eventually spending 28 minutes on the field. He did nothing wrong, but was just not in Larkham's class.
DAVID GIFFIN: Replaced the hard-working Sharpe in the 48th minute and did a fine job in the line-outs, while his general play was also above average.
JEREMY PAUL: Came on for Cannon in the 56th minute and generally did a much better job. One of his throws also went astray, but he made up for it with a strong run.
MATT COCKBAIN: Should have come on much earlier than the 56th minute, when he replaced Lyons, and made his presence felt right into extra-time. Some good tackling and strong leg drives.
JOE ROFF: Should have come on for Sailor much earlier and came on in the 70th minute. He at least knew where he was supposed to have been on the field and made a far more valuable contribution than the over-hyped Sailor.
MATT DUNNING: He came on in the 92nd minute and made a neat run that put his side back on the attack in the closing stages.
By Jan de Koning
Woodward proud of team effort 22/11/03
By Justin O'Regan in Sydney
'It was an amazing performance' England coach Clive Woodward was swift to praise match-winning fly-half Jonny Wilkinson and the 'Dad's Army' pack for their massive contributions to the Rugby World Cup Final win over Australia.
Wilkinson landed a drop-goal in the last minute of extra-time to clinch a 20-17 victory for England, as well as kicking four penalties earlier in the match, while the forwards provided the No.10 with a rock-solid platform up front. "It was an amazing performance," said Woodward. "We're very, very lucky to have him. The whole team was great, the Dad's Army kept going. I'm very proud of the whole team. It was a great effort from all involved and Wilkinson is a key part of it." With the result in the balance right until that thrilling final score in the 99th minute, it was an epic match - arguably the best RWC Final yet. "I think the top two teams arrived at the Final," said Woodward. "It made for a great spectacle and I think if the conditions were a bit better we would have won easier." But he warned that England would not be content to sit on their laurels now that they have become the new world champions.
"The next game is the Six Nations," he said. "We have to keep this momentum going, we have to ensure the current success is not a blip in history." England confounded their critics who had accused them of "boring" tactics, the Men in White flinging the ball wide on several occasions, not least in the build-up to the try scored by wing Jason Robinson. But Woodward denied that his team's performance owed anything to a conscious switch of tactics. "I don't think we made any changes at all tonight," said Woodward. "We played the way we have played for the last couple of years and we have proved that week in, week out. The Australian media clearly thought we were not as expansive as Australia.
"We played a far more expansive game than Australia and that's a fact. "There's been no magic plan or scheme. We've just gone game to game. England have done it the right way this time. We've gone full-strength in every match. Apart from the warm-up game in Marseilles we haven't used a Test match to not play our best team. International rugby is about today, not last week or next week."
