England defeats Australia in the 2003 Rugby World Cup final to become world champions
With the 2003 World Cup final in its 100th minute, and England and hosts Australia locked at 17 points apiece, the men in white shirts rose to the grandest of occasions to write their name in English sporting folklore. In the cauldron of the Telstra Stadium, Steve Thompson threw a lineout dart to Lewis Moody and Mike Catt ran at Australia ’s defence. Matt Dawson feigned a pass back to the waiting Wilkinson outside the 22-metre line, and then sliced through a gap to gain 15 crucial yards.
Captain Martin Johnson took up possession to eat a little further into the remaining seconds and grind the Australians further back. Then scrum-half Dawson shimmied again to suggest he might try and gain a few more yards, waited for the fooled gold shirts to begin their retreat and then flung the ball to Wilkinson and the boy wonder of English rugby, on his weaker right foot, kicked the ball through the posts. England were world champions. “I’d had a couple of goes before which were very much pot-shots, having a dig almost,” Wilkinson said on the 10th anniversary a decade ag
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