2003

Rugby World Cup 2003 - Winners England

The 2003 Rugby World Cup was staged in Australia and for the first time England emerged as the winners of the Rugby World Cup and were the first northern hemisphere team to win the World Cup. Going into the tournament New Zealand were the Rugby World Cup betting favourite however they failed to deliver and were beaten by Australia in the semi finals.

As usual there are always heroes in every Rugby World Cup Final and without doubt Johnny Wilkinson was the player that stood out for the English as he dictated the flow of their games from his out-half position and dropped the winning points in extra time of a fantastic final against the hosts Australia. The scenes back in London to honour the England team will be remembered for many a year and it was good that they did celebrate as it maybe a while before they get their hands on the trophy again.