Woodward celebrates the triumph. (Getty Images)

Martin Johnson hailed England's ``fantastic'' achievement in being crowned world champions.

Johnson led his team to a dramatic 20-17 success over holders and host nation Australia at Telstra Stadium.

The final went to extra-time after England blew a nine-point interval lead, being clawed back from 14-5 ahead to 14-14.

But fly-half Jonny Wilkinson came up trumps when it really mattered, slotting a penalty in the first period of extra-time and then kicking a last-gasp drop goal after Australia had drawn level at 17-17.

Johnson became the first captain of his country to lift the Webb Ellis trophy, as England took rugby union's glittering golden prize home to Europe for the first time.

``It hasn't sunk in. It will take a few days to sink in - it is fantastic for all the players, the management and the whole of England,'' Johnson said.

Johnson relived the moments that led to superstar Wilkinson producing his exulted kick.

``After they kicked the equalising penalty, we called a long kick-off and we went straight up the middle,'' Johnson added.

``Once Matt Dawson had made the break, followed by Neil Back, I took it up once more, and I think there were 30 seconds to go.

``We then had Wilko in front of the sticks to win the World Cup and you just wouldn't have anyone else there, would you?''

The game was often a scrappy affair in wet conditions, but the high drama more than compensated for errors from both sides.

And England head coach Clive Woodward has now masterminded the biggest single achievement in British sport since England won the soccer World Cup against West Germany 37 years ago.

``This was our fifth win in a row against Australia, so we are on a very big roll,'' said Woodward.

``Winning the World Cup is very important, and it is just a big thank you to the Premiership clubs and the Rugby Football Union. We have just put the icing on the cake and we want to keep this going.

``What happened on the pitch at the end will live with us forever. I think we should make it compulsory now that you don't get a ticket at Twickenham unless you wear a white shirt,'' added Woodward, in tribute to England's legions of supporters.

``These memories tonight will live forever. If I could have picked the final for this tournament, then it would have been England versus Australia.''

Despite England's victory, there was no disguising a sense of relief that they finally came up trumps following a stunning Wallabies fightback.

``Australia stepped up to the mark tonight, and it was a great World Cup final. But we are delighted to win,'' Woodward added.

Speculation will now intensify as to whether some England players will announce their retirement from Test rugby.

But Woodward said: ``It is up to the players, but I would say leave it now until January. I am hopeful that all 30 players in this squad will be available for the first Six Nations game in February.''

Lawrence Dallaglio revealed he never feared that England would lose the final.

"It might be difficult to understand but I never felt we were going to lose that game," he said.

"It was the inner steel, the inner belief within the squad that whatever it takes we will win."

England began to gain a reputation as chokers after repeatedly blowing the chance of a Six Nations Grand Slam - but it is a tag that has been buried over the last year as Woodward's men beat everything in front of them.

And they have come through tight spots like few other English sporting sides have done, beating Australia 32-31 at Twickenham plus New Zealand home and away.

In this tournament they had to draw on their famed depths of resolve to get past Samoa and then Wales in the quarter-finals.

"We have had to dig deep through the whole tournament. It is a combination of a lot of things," he said.

"We have learnt from a few mistakes - we have had a few inglorious defeats over the last few years.

"I'd like to think we have learnt from those mistakes. It is part of that process of growing up together.

"I was here 10 years ago playing for the under-21s and we won then with the likes of Will Greenwood, Kyran Bracken, Matt Dawson, Mike Catt.

"There were a lot of emotions going into the game this week. You draw on all the good things you have done through your career."

England's victory to lift the Webb Ellis Trophy made it five on the bounce against the Wallabies, a statistic Dallaglio singled out as crucial to the side's preparations.

"A lot of people made a big thing of the fact that we had beaten Australia four times meant nothing," he said.

"Well, I think it meant something, to be honest with you because it gave us momentum coming into the game.

"That victory in Melbourne (this June) was crucial.

"That is what made this contest so fascinating because normally in duels between Australia and England, the English put up a courageous fight and then lose.

"There was a genuine sense from Australians that you knew this England team could win.

"Ultimately we have gone out and done what we intended to."

Dallaglio was in tears during the National Anthem against France just before last weekend's semi-final, but knew it was important to keep those emotions in check against the Australians.

"If you are in the England dressing room prior to the game it is a very emotional, highly-charged place," he said.

"We felt we needed to be smart today. The Australians could have thrown anything at us and indeed they did early on in the game and you have got to have that balance between the emotion and aggression you need and also thinking clearly under pressure. Right up until the last minute of extra time we had that clarity."

It was just as well, given how much of a fight Australia put up.

"International rugby is not an exact science but we have been able to lift ourselves at key times," he said.

"In the last minute of real time we conceded a penalty. We just said to ourselves: 'right, that's gone. We can't do anything about that. We have 10 minutes of extra-time each way to make sure we come out on top.'

"We have shown enormous character and leadership throughout."

England were penalised frequently in the second half for infringing at the scrum, decision made by referee Andre Watson and that left Dallaglio and others confused.

"We gave away, amazingly, five or six penalties at the scrum. I felt we have had one of the strongest scrums in the competition from the first game through to the last game," he said.

"There was only one side that wanted to scrummage today and it got penalised five times."

Dallaglio found himself on his own as England did a lap of the Telstra Stadium, parading the Webb Ellis Trophy and thanking the tens of thousands of travelling supporters who lent a vocal and colourful atmosphere to the game.

"You have to acknowledge the supporters and we don't really get to do that too often," he said.

"The support we have had in this World Cup has not been like anything we have ever had, even at Twickenham.

"These are true rugby supporters, true English people who are very passionate about this team, very proud about this team and I think it was important they were involved in the occasion tonight."

Neil Back later confirmed that he has no intention of quitting international rugby - even though his 35th birthday is less than two months away.

The Leicester flanker played a starring role on Saturday and remains an integral part of England's rosy future after producing some outstanding performances during the tournament.

"I am carrying on. Why retire when you are on top of the world?" Back said.

"I had a belief from the start of the year that this was going to be our year. We've found the right formula to win, home and away, and we've delivered.

"We have learnt how to win, and the composure and leadership out there was fantastic. I believed all year that we would do it, and I am happy that this team has got the credit it deserves."

Back provided one of the final's endearing post-match images, when he collected his four-year-old daughter Olivia from his wife in the crowd and carried her over to the winner's podium.

"I know they (his family) were there, and I would have brought my son over as well, but he wouldn't leave his mother's side," he added.

"It has been a long journey since the 1999 World Cup quarter-final defeat against France in Paris, and we have now consistently beaten the best sides in the world.

"Winning the World Cup is a special time for all the players. We've got players with a vast amount of experience, and we have learnt how to win."

While Back has no intention of stepping down from the Test arena, it remains to be seen whether some of his colleagues will continue.

Prop Jason Leonard, who won his 114th cap as an extra-time substitute, and scrum-half Kyran Bracken could be leading candidates to call it a day at the highest level.

Ben Kay was the most relieved man in Australia after England won the World Cup despite his touchdown clanger.

Kay admitted he could have followed in the footsteps of Stuart Pearce, Chris Waddle and Gareth Southgate, who all became infamous for missed penalties on England soccer duty - to such an extend their misery was mocked in a television advert.

Kay's first-half miss came as he fumbled the ball in the act of scoring, albeit under pressure from the Australian defence, to squander five points.

"I was a bit worried I might end up in a pizza advert," joked Kay, who made great play of grabbing a ball and diving over the line in the correct manner on England's lap of honour.

"I was bracing myself for the tackle coming in and I just spilled it. Fortunately it didn't cost us the game and at the end I was just having a bit of good humour with Matt Dawson who could probably have gone in himself if he had put his head down and gone for it."

Kay, sporting a black eye after taking a set of studs in the face near the end, admitted the mood of the England players was one of relief rather than elation.

"None of it has truly sunk in yet," he said. "We knew if we got in range of the posts at the end Jonny would slot one over. When they were taking their penalty a couple of minutes before our plan was to get down there and give Jonny a chance.

"In the last 20 minutes we had a lot of scrambling to do and it was a tremendously intense game up front which is probably why both sides found it tough to win their own line-out."

Gloucester prop Phil Vickery was replaced by Jason Leonard in the interval before extra-time - and Vickery admitted the next 20 minutes were among the worst of his career.

"It was horrible watching that last bit from the bench," he said. "It just dragged on and on and I was just hoping it would end for us like 40,000 other Englishmen.

"I feel privileged and just lucky to be here. Whatever anyone says about me in the future they'll never be able to take this away from me.

"Today is a great day for England and it is fantastic to be involved with such a great group of people. It's what dreams are made of.

"I always had a feeling it could have slipped away because you just never know. But now I'm planning to meet up with my dad in Sydney. I'm off tour officially."

Full-back Josh Lewsey paid tribute to the "fantastic opposition" that Australia provided during English rugby's finest hour.

"I have nothing, but respect for the Australian players," he said.

"They are fantastic individuals, and they were fantastic opposition.

"There was a lot of banter this week, but the guys took it on board and didn't bite, despite some of the insults from the media."

Like his team-mates, Lewsey was in emotional mood at the final whistle.

"This is the culmination of everything you've ever worked for," he reflected.

"You make all the sacrifices, like missing out on going to weddings and Stag Nights, and I was a little overwhelmed at the end.

"We are going back home now, and it is very nice to be able to go home and say that we are world champions.

"I will enjoy this evening.

"It has been the culmination of a lot of hard work, and that is why tonight is so good.

"If what we have done can inspire others back in the UK, then fingers crossed, we will have an effect."

England's defensive coach Phil Larder has suffered the pain of a World Cup final defeat to Australia - but is now revelling in the ecstasy of victory.

Larder was coach of the England rugby league side in 1995 that contained try-scorer Jason Robinson when the Kangaroos ran out winners at Wembley.

It was a defeat the 58-year-old admitted left him in the depths of despair, particularly as Australia were not at full strength with the game Down Under in the middle of the divisive Super League wrangle.

The same could not be said about the Wallabies side, with only first-choice tight-head Ben Darwin missing through injury.

It was nerve-wracking, starting from the moment Stephen Larkham exposed Robinson under the high ball and Lote Tuqiri scored.

But the defence held firm from there on in, though Elton Flatley made them pay for a string of penalties, before Wilkinson sealed the win in the 99th minute.

For Larder it was the realisation of a dream.

"When I was in charge of the England rugby league team we lost the 1995 World Cup final. I was suicidal," he said later.

"I can't remember the score, but we lost. I can't remember the score tonight, but we won. I can go to my grave happy.

"Everything that has gone on before has been put right. You have got to enjoy it. You talk about winning. That was a good game to win."

Larder forms one third of England's core coaching team alongside head coach Woodward and forwards coach Andy Robinson.

The trio gave a relaxed air this week in the build-up to the biggest game of their coaching careers.

While underneath emotions were bubbling away, Robinson revealed that past experiences have taught him that bringing those to surface is not always a positive move.

"If we show tension, it comes across to the players," he said.

"I was involved in the Lions tour and I was the most intense person around and it nearly ruined my life.

"Well, it did ruin my life. I think we have learned a lot of lessons from that and the more you coach, the more experience you get of when to be intense and when to stand off a bit.

"This is such a quality group of players. The leadership in the camp is first class. I have real respect for them and the hard work they have put in.

"We can't put across our frustrations, we have to make sure we are confident and we were very confident about winning."

The trio have coached England to the Grand Slam, historic victories away in New Zealand and Australia and now World Cup glory, but Robinson believes there is still more to come.

"We have sat with each other quite a bit. I think we are improving but we have a long way to go as a coaching team," he said.

"I have learnt a lot from Phil Larder. He has been tremendous; Dave Alred (kicking coach) has put so much work and you can see that with Jonny and his goalkicking today.

"He missed a couple with his left foot and then landed one with his right and that is down to the practice he has put in.

"But we have a long way to go as a coaching team."