Dads army the wizards of Oz

Published on Sunday 23 November 2003 00:00

AUSTRALIA 17

ENGLAND 20

IN THE end, the best efforts of the much-touted Wallabies backrow, a scabrous and well-orchestrated home media campaign and all the voodoo dolls in the world could not stop the golden boy from fulfilling his destiny.

In the week preceding last night’s epic World Cup final, every Tom, Bruce and Larry weighed in with opinions on the ways and means of stopping Jonny Wilkinson. Even Prime Minister John Howard had a go and one xenophobic Sydney newspaper had invited its readers to cut out a Jonny likeness in its pages, mount it on cardboard and stick pins in it in an effort to put a curse on this consummate match-winner. But it was the England stand-off who, deep into extra-time of the most dramatic denouement to a sporting event most of us could remember, plunged the knife in the heart of a nation with the winning drop goal that six million Aussies had anticipated, and feared.

That was the answer of a champion to pressure, on and off the field, that no young man of 24 should be forced to confront. Little wonder that, as the ball sailed straight and true between the Australian posts, Wilkinson’s normally sombre features cracked into a massive smile and he danced a jig of joy with team-mate Mike Catt.

But if this World Cup victory was a triumph for young Wilkinson, it was also an answer to the Aussie critics who had written off England’s Dad’s Army, the venerable pack - average age 29 - who would supposedly fray at the edges as the tournament went on. As it was, only prop Phil Vickery, a veritable whipper-snapper at 27, and flanker Richard Hill, who was suffering with cramp, did not make it to the final whistle. Or rather the second final whistle; the old boys went the distance, and more.

And as for boring England, the win-at-all-costs curmudgeons who would strangle the life out of this game, the statistics argue somewhat differently. In the first half in particular, they demonstrated a spirit of adventure of which few Australians could convince themselves they were capable, Wilkinson choosing to pass or run far more than his allegedly more enterprising opposite number Stephen Larkham. At 14-5 ahead after that first 40 minutes, it was clear that such was England’s superiority and the momentum of the rhythm they had established that the only thing that could beat them was themselves. And so it almost proved, with a succession of unforced errors, messy set-pieces and infringements handing Australia the opportunity to remain in the match. It was, in fact, a horribly untidy second stanza that would not have remained long in the memory had Wallaby centre Elton Flatley not kicked his third penalty, with 30 seconds of normal time remaining, to take the match into overtime and create a drama that will be hard to forget.

England, in fact, like their World Cup-winning cousins of 1966, had to win this game twice, as Flatley also levelled the scores at 17-17 with one minute of extra-time left. Whoever chose A Hard Day’s Night as the closing music of the night had it about right. As it had in the semi-final a week ago, the weather on the night - wind, rain and a relatively low temperature - suited the men from the chilly north and when the staff in the media accreditation centre began to hand out the disposable plastic macs along with the match programmes there was ample reason to believe that God may indeed be a Pom. England had dismantled France in a like climate and were a side better suited to an arm-wrestle in such conditions. Australia, however, plainly hadn’t read that script and, on six minutes, they were ahead with what turned out to be their match’s one moment of elan.

England prop Trevor Woodman was fingered for going into a maul with a swinging arm and after full-back Mat Rogers kicked for position England had the wrong numbers in the subsequent line-out and were penalised again. Australia opted for the scrum and although Dad’s Army, not for the last time, got a shove on, Larkham drilled a kick high to the corner where Lote Tuqiri rose to pluck the ball out of the hands of the dwarfed Jason Robinson and the Wallabies were 5-0 up. Flatley’s conversion hit the post, the first of three misses by the centre.

But soon enough came the sight all Australia had been dreading, with Wilkinson, to a prolonged chorus of booing, lining up his first penalty after Wallaby flanker Phil Waugh had come into a ruck from the wrong side. If Wilkinson heard the barracking it certainly did not affect his concentration as he guided the ball between the posts from just inside the Australian half.

England at once began to monopolise possession, winning two line-outs in succession on Australia’s throw and putting the squeeze on Australia’s rookie front-row where tight-head Al Baxter was having a torrid time. It came as no surprise when Wilkinson slotted his second penalty after Larkham had played a man without the ball. Larkham was taken to the bloodbin for his pains and from then on was on and off the field more times than a water-carrier as the Wallaby medics failed to stem the flow of claret. Larkham was still off the field when England managed to squander a simple scoring opportunity. Hill hacked on a loose ball on the Wallaby 22 and lock Ben Kay was almost over the line when he dropped what should have been the scoring pass from Wilkinson.

Quite rightly, no-one in white seemed particularly concerned, such seemed the inevitability of an England score as the Aussie errors proliferated and when the anonymous Wendell Sailor knocked on to gift England field position, Baxter failed to stay bound at the next scrum and Wilkinson kicked his third penalty to make the score 9-5. Two minutes from half-time England’s dominance was given more tangible form when, after No.8 Lawrence Dallaglio made headway into the Wallaby midfield, Dawson was on hand to support. The cover anticipated a return pass inside, but the scrum-half spotted Robinson steaming up on the left and the wing aquaplaned in at the corner for a well-merited try. At 14-5, England seemingly had the game won, but cracks began to appear after the break.

First, Dallaglio went offside at a ruck six minutes in and Flatley was handed three much-needed points. England were suddenly committing far too many unforced errors and their efforts to pressurise the Wallaby scrum further led to a string of penalties from referee Andre Watson. As the game and conditions deteriorated, the official appositely put it to the opposing front-rows: "Millions are watching, and this is crap."

Vickery, for one, failed to heed Watson’s words, sticking a big Cornish paw into a ruck for Flatley finally to make it 14-11 going into the last quarter. England’s time-honoured method of closing down matches also appeared to have deserted them and, up in the box, coach Clive Woodward was suffering death by a thousand missed drop goals, as Wilkinson failed with two attempts in quick succession.

But with the clock ticking down they appeared to have done just enough to win it until, for the umpteenth time, they were penalised for illegal scrummaging and with 30 seconds left Flatley admirably kept his head to kick the equalising penalty, Watson’s whistle blowing at once.

With ten minutes of extra time each way, it didn’t take a degree in rocket science to work out that the first score could be crucial and it was England who got it, Justin Harrison obstructing his old foe Martin Johnson at the first line-out for Wilkinson to kick his fourth penalty. As they had done against France, England began to lock their rivals in a stranglehold, kicking to establish field position as Australia desperately struggled to get out of their own half.

But, like a dog with its favourite bone, the world champions refused to let go of their trophy and when England again put illegal hands into a ruck with a minute left Flatley levelled for a second time.

England’s name, however, was on the cup and after Matt Dawson had stolen away from a ruck and Johnson had thundered on to within metres of the Aussie line, Wilkinson stepped back into the pocket for his quickstep into history.