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Wilkinson kicks his critics into touch, finally

James Lawton
Monday 17 November 2003 01:00 GMT
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Happiness could have been defined easily enough here last night. It was to walk and dance and sing in the rain with red and white paint daubed on your face while wrapped in the flag of St George.

An estimated 30,000 English rugby fans did some if not all of this after their team overwhelmed France 24-7 in the World Cup semi-final. On Saturday, England take on the reigning world champions Australia, who last Saturday thrashed the favourites, New Zealand.

It will surely be a defining moment in the art of Pommy-bashing, which reached its apotheosis last year when England's football team were beaten in London by Australians, the most humiliating point in an apparently relentless trend of that nation's ascendancy in sport.

But that was before the success of an English rugby team which will now be seeking its fifth straight victory over the Australians.

Last night, the English supporters, who included Prince Harry and Sir Richard Branson, filled the spectacular 82,000 Telstra stadium, built for the 2000 Olympic Games, with their anthem "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot", and were in turn applauded by the England coach Clive Woodward.

"These English fans are incredible," said an overjoyed Woodward, who with his team had been under an increasingly harsh spotlight after unconvincing performances against South Africa, Samoa and Wales. "This was better than Twickenham tonight. With a little bit more support of that quality, I'm sure the boys can go all the way and win against Australia.

"I'm not worried about a bit of Pommy-bashing. I lived in this country for years and I think the approach to sport here is just great. I always thought we would meet the Australians in the final. They were brilliant against the All Blacks on Saturday night, and we were brilliant tonight. It will make a great sporting occasion."

Woodward said that there had been much heart-searching in the English dressing-room after last week's shaky quarter-final victory over Wales. "What we had was quite a bit of good-natured anger," the coach said. "Good nature from the players and anger from the coaches. But I always knew they would make it to the final, and I'm more confident than ever that we can land the World Cup."

If England do land the trophy, for the first time, the victory could matchthe 1966 World Cup triumph of England's football team, whose right-back was George Cohen, uncle of Ben, the powerful wing three-quarter who helped defeat France last night.

But the likely star, if the dreams of ecstatic English supporters come true, is Jonny Wilkinson, the 24-year-old fly-half who came through a crisis of confidence to score all of England's points, kicking five penalties and three drop goals. "Jonny showed great character, like all the team," Woodward said.

Fabien Galthié, the French captain and scrum-half, who at 34 is now likely to retire, said: "I do not know who will win, but I hope it will be a great occasion. The English deserve to be there. They put so much pressure on us. They were the better team."

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