12 days of rugby: Jonny Wilkinson kicks England to glory

Planet Rugby
Add as a preferred source on Google

With the festive season in full swing, it’s time to continue our 12 days of rugby. Next up, it’s Jonny Wilkinson’s drop-goal in the Rugby World Cup final.

Lead-up to that special rugby moment

It had been quite the journey for this England team under the tutelage of Clive Woodward as they went through the learning curve that was 1998 on the ‘tour from hell’ to Australasia and also a painful exit from the 1999 Rugby World Cup against South Africa, thanks to the unerring boot of drop-goal maestro Jannie de Beer.

But they built on those foundations in impressive fashion and by the time the next Rugby World Cup rolled around in 2003 they were among the favourites for the coveted prize, with wins in New Zealand and Australia in one-off Tests and a Six Nations Grand Slam the perfect confidence-boosting build-up to the competition.

In said tournament in Australia, England had beaten Georgia, South Africa, Samoa and Uruguay in the pool stage before fighting back to overcome Wales 28-17 in a thrilling quarter-final meeting, largely thanks to Wilkinson’s 23-point haul. He would then star in the semi-final win over France, kicking all 24 of England’s points in a solid 24-7 victory in the rain that set up the final against host nation Australia, who had shocked New Zealand 22-10 in their own semi-final.

Wilkinson subsequently dominated the lead-up to the final and the pressure must have been immense on his young shoulders. But with a vast amount of experienced heads around him, acting as shoulders to lean on and fountains of advice and protection, the fly-half came into the showpiece match knowing his role inside out.

That knowledge was something all of the England squad could fall back on and while the scale of the task weighed down heavy on them, all they had been through together over the years offered a calmness in the group that should things unravel – like they did in the second half – they had the tools to find a solution.

Why it will live long in the memory

For the majority of the England squad it was the culmination of eight years hard work, with many of this team knowing this would be their final World Cup, but it came with them at the peak of their powers. Nicknamed ‘Dad’s Army’ by some, the likes of Martin Johnson, Lawrence Dallaglio, Neil Back, Richard Hill, Mike Catt et al were old in years but very much flourishing in terms of experience, hunger and nous, which stood them in great stead in such big games as this one.

On the flipside, Wilkinson was only 24 at this point but was already the scourge of the majority nations he faced, due to his dead-eye goal-kicking and ability to manage a game. With the quality he had came extra pressure on his shoulders, but on the biggest stage of all he stepped up when it mattered most, slotting key penalties, setting up Jason Robinson’s try before landing that extra time drop-goal with his so-called weak foot to cap a remarkable journey for the side.

Team-mates revealed that the relief was visible on Wilkinson’s face and in his persona immediately after that Rugby World Cup triumph. Indeed the weight of England was lifted as, thanks to years of practice, training and ups and downs, it was to be a drop-goal that united a nation and opened the door to many households who had not yet welcomed rugby into their homes. An ugly strike, maybe, but it mattered little as Wilkinson broke England’s Webb Ellis duck.

That, in part, is why it lives long in the memory as it remains to this day the northern hemisphere’s only Rugby World Cup triumph, as flashbacks of front page coverage and headline news on the television offered rugby union a much-needed shot in the arm that it has built upon. Much like their soccer brothers of 1966, the ‘Class of 2003’ rightly continue to dine out on the win they worked so hard to attain as Wilkinson and co. achieved something no one can take away from them.

Australia Jonny Wilkinson