Wilkinson receives treatment.

By Andrew Baldock, PA Sport Rugby Union Correspondent, Sydney

Jonny Wilkinson revealed on Saturday night that he feared his World Cup final had been ended by injury before recovering to land the drop goal which saw England crowned world champions.

England's superstar fly-half struck the killer blow that secured an unforgettable 20-17 victory over holders and host nation Australia at Telstra Stadium.

But the Newcastle No 10, who also booted four penalties, had to pick himself up off the floor following a first-half injury scare when he was hurt tackling Wallabies replacement Matt Giteau.

"I was lying there, and there was so much pain," he said. "You wonder whether your game is over, but the physios worked on it, and the pain went away."

Reliving the dying seconds of a pulsating match that went to extra-time, Wilkinson said: "We knew what we had to do.

"The pass came back to me, and it was probably the easiest attempt all day. I have been practising those type of kicks in training since I was five or six-years old.

"It was quite an experience out there, and it is a fantastic feeling to know that we are world champions."

England led 14-5 at half-time, but did not score a point in the second period, and Wilkinson conceded: "When something like that happens, you get a bit nervous, but we kept our self-belief."

Wilkinson, who received a rapturous reception from England fans before his winner's medal was placed around his neck, can now expect to cash in as world rugby's hottest property.

His worth to England is priceless, and at 24, he is at the peak of his powers, with 817 Test match points already collected and many more on the horizon.

And as for his defensive qualities, England defence coach Phil Larder paid Wilkinson a glowing tribute.

"Jonny is part and parcel of the unit. Jonny is a formidable defender - not only is he technically very sound and very physical, but he reads the game so well," Larder said.

"When Australia moved their players around, and moved quickly from one side of the breakdown to the other, it was usually Jonny who was able to get across and nullify that.

"Not only does he hit very hard, but he reads the game very well.

"Sometimes he makes the mistake of trying to do too much, and becomes the cover defender at the back. When he does that, I think he takes too much juice out of himself.

"So it is important that he defends in the line, but he tends to crop up in the right places and make those tackles.

"I don't know how much pain he was in, but one of the things we ask our guys is just to wear the shirts with pride, and get out there and do a job, and Jonny epitomises that spirit."

Martin Johnson predicted that Wilkinson would succeed him as England captain.

"He is a lot more famous than me. I think he will probably captain England one day if he wants to, if he chooses to," said Johnson.

"I am sure he will be given that option one day."

Johnson repeated his disbelief for the criticism Wilkinson had been getting during the tournament.

"There is a lot of pressure on him and he gets built up to a degree where people expect superhuman stuff from him and most of the stuff he does is verging on that," said Johnson.

"To call him a kicker doesn't do him justice because the work he puts in on the field and in all aspects of his game is fantastic.

"He is a very special player, a very special person."