Wilkinson celebrates THAT drop goal.

By Graham Shaw

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One hundred minutes of pure sporting theatre in Sydney's Telstra Stadium on Saturday morning ended with England ruling the world once again.

Not since Sir Alf Ramsey's team of 1966 has this nation tasted a sporting triumph like this, or a triumph as richly deserved.

For the past seven weeks Clive Woodward and his squad have brushed off the criticism of their tactics, got on with their jobs and achieved their one and only goal - global domination.

They made the long trek to Australia chasing only one dream - the Webb Ellis trophy.

While some critics might disagree surely in a World Cup winning isn't everything - it's the only thing.

I apologise for using a tired old cliche, but in this case isn't it the right one?

If they'd scored three tries and lost to the Wallabies on Saturday, wouldn't it just have been another glorious failure? Just like the ones we've been suffering for three decades and more?

So instead of criticising Woodward, Martin Johnson and co for their lack of adventure let's hail them for their will to win, their determination, their professionalism and above all their success.

Let's just look at what they've achieved this year, and it makes some reading.

Before they even jetted Down Under on October 1 they'd completed a perfect Six Nations campaign and notched Test wins over New Zealand and Australia in their own back yards.

And then they won seven out of seven in an unforgettable rollercoaster ride to World Cup glory.

Woodward's team have been simply sensational in the last 12 months, and despite what some people would tell you they were in this World Cup.

For the most part they met all the opposition head on and dominated.

And even when the likes of Samoa and Wales gave them rocky moments, they rolled up their sleeves and gritted it out.

England have displayed all the qualities you'd want in champions - and above all they fit their game plan to the occasion.

They've played expansive rugby and scored sackloads of points when the conditions have allowed for it.

But when they haven't it's been that juggernaut pack and the golden boot of Jonny Wilkinson that has carried them to glory.

They were pilloried for their semi victory over France, a near-perfect 24-7 win in horrendous conditions.

All they did was play to their strengths and keep mistakes to a minimum in awful weather that made running rugby virtually impossible.

What were they supposed to do? Throw the ball around and play a dangerous game against a team who needed the match to be open? Do me a favour.

This last week the Australian press blasted them at every quarter for not entertaining and not scoring tries.

Believe me, those barbs were a sign of fear and respect and something we should be proud of.

The Aussies knew they were up against it, at last facing a team that has the same qualities as their very own.

Instead of laughing at our attempts at sporting excellence they had to criticise for once.

In 1991 England played percentage rugby to reach the ultimate game, but tried to be more expansive in the final against Australia and lost.

Despite the criticism there was no chance of that happening this time.

Woodward's game plan was simple - just win and everything else is a bonus.

As it was Saturday's showdown in the Telstra Stadium was as much a meeting of two great wills and two great teams.

For years Australian teams have imposed theirs on feeble English/British outfits in a variety of sports.

But now we have a team that can meet them head on and win the psychologial as well as physical battles.

There were several pivotal moments during that tension-packed and titanic 100 minutes of rugby.

But one above all stood out for me.

As Mike Tindall tackled Aussie skipper George Gregan near the touchline it looked like a regulation challenge and a lineout for England.

But I got the impression when Tindall looked closer and realised who he was tackling, a light bulb went on in his head. This was the Wallaby captain, the chance to send an important psychological message.

The next thing Gregan was being carried virtually head high into touch like a screaming baby and dumped unceremoniously onto the sodden Sydney turf.

Tindall, and England, had laid down their marker. It looked like men against boys.

Not only did England win this final, they had to lift themselves twice from the depths of despair to do it.

Twice - at the end of normal time and extra time - Elton Flatley hauled the scores level with clutch penalty kicks.

But twice Woodward's men sucked it up and came again to deny them.

The coup de grace, when it came, had a glorious air of inevitability about it all.

As the England pack rumbled towards the Wallaby line virtually everybody in the packed pub I was sat in was silently saying the same thing - drop goal.

Everybody in the Telstra Stadium knew it, and the Wallabies knew it too.

For the last seven weeks the golden boot of Wilkinson has carried England's sweet chariot home, and once again it proved unstoppable.

It was the perfect finale to an amazing morning of drama and tension - the best word to sum it up was titanic.

And it was the perfect salute from Wilkinson and England to their critics.

It was the players who ultimately won the prize, but the mastermind behind it all was that man Woodward.

I can't remember during a major tournament being as impressed by a coach/manager.

During the past seven weeks he's been level-headed and single-minded in the pursuit of only one thing - ultimate victory.

He got his team ready seven times to win, and seven times they did win.

He was always confident, but was never over-confident.

He always talked his team up, but he never talked the opposition down.

Quite simply his World Cup campaign was one of sheer perfection.

You can't help but think that his team took strength from the relaxed confidence their coach exhibited.

Our man Down Under Neal Collins gave us a fascinating post-final insight into the way Woodward dealt with his squad.

They weren't locked in their hotel rooms and kept away from their families.

He defied conventional sporting wisdom and treated his squad like adults, and how they responded.

The air of normality about the England camp, and their willingness to mix with their fans, was refreshing to see in this age of big-money recluses.

Yes you can see why Woodward called them a very special group of players, and people.

It's difficult to remember a more special group.