Gerry Thornley On Rugby: "Ohhh, Jonny-Jonny, Jonny-Jonny-Jonny Wilkinson." Hail Ing-er-land. It was hard not to be moved by the bonhomie and sing-songs of English supporters in a Manly pub on Sunday night.
Besides, we're all Europeans now. Don't mention the Famine. I did once but I think I got away with it.
Glad it's over though. So much rugby. Even Fox Sports 2 became a devoted rugby channel for seven weeks, with anything from old World Cup and Tri-Nations games to repeat World Cup games. And so many words. More words than you could throw a stick at.
Two tempos. With Ireland, it was an intense five weeks, because you wanted them to do well. Then it was the semi-finals on, suddenly without Ireland. A surreal finale, staying, by chance, in the same hotel as the English squad.
Perhaps it made you more sympathetic to their plight, a vintage team on a last, redeeming mission, being pilloried, from pillar to post, for being Poms.
Articles, lots of them, and all of them in jest of course, sledging their Dad's Army status, their reliance on Wilkinson, highlighting all manner of supposed illegalities and one article even imploring Wallaby supporters to ensure they didn't get a good night's sleep. All in jest of course, and Clive Woodward laughed it off.
A few, very few it has to be said, inebriated young souls congregated at the front of Manly Pacific Hotel chanting "boring, boring" during the night, or waking you up with hollers of "Go, Wallabies, Go" in the wee small hours.
What they didn't know was that the English squad were staying around to the side of the hotel, and would mostly have been oblivious to it. And on Saturday night, some young home supporters were looking for trouble with the English fans who congregated patiently outside to pay homage, being dragged away by an increasing police presence. But all the while, the English supporters ignored the taunting.
This was in keeping with Woodward's grace under fire. Granted, he lost the head after the scratchy win over Wales, particularly with an intemperate response to a legitimate line of questioning from a French journalist. But he apologised the next day, and otherwise remained witty, good-humoured, articulate and unrepentant about England's brand of rugby.
By the end, I have to confess I was glad they won. Players like Martin Johnson and Lawrence Dallaglio, defensive coach Phil Larder and others deserved it, especially here. I found them to be anything but arrogant.
Sure, there will be arrogant noises emanating from Twickenham and some of the English media about the need to move out of the Six Nations and so forth, but in truth it was the defeats to Wales, Scotland, Ireland and France which prevented them winning five Grand Slams in a row, which humbled them, and partly toughened them up for RWC 2003. And their victory will be a huge boon for the Northern Hemisphere and particularly the Six Nations championship.
There's bound to be more profile and money pouring into the English game and this will surely filter through to their neighbours to some degree.
Admittedly, it may heighten their bargaining power when it comes to recruiting Irish players, some of whom are already being tapped by the more lucrative French market. But, think of it, every year for the next four years Ireland, like Wales, Scotland, France and, first up Italy in Rome, will get to play the world champions. For the next four years the Tri-Nations will not have the world champions and it was about time the Australians ate a little bit of humble pie.
Sure, they're a magnificent sporting nation. A young Australian sportsperson probably has more going for him in terms of facilities, weather and government support than anywhere else in the world.
Allowing for John Howard being their Prime Minister and the increasing Americanisation of the place (wall-to-wall American sitcoms and chatshows), there's no other rugby country you'd rather spend seven weeks in, save, perhaps, for France. They're outstanding hosts, the bigger the better. Even dining out reminds you what a rip-off Ireland has become.
No less than the excellent grounds, the stunning attendances and crowd support, the organisation was simply first-rate, and you took it for granted.
A colleague made me pause and think for a second about how good it was. The third-place play-off. A balmy night, sitting there in a T-shirt. Giant screens with clock and replay. Stats handed out at half-time and full-time. A spacious work desk with - Irish rugby take note - power points. Post-match press conferences in the media centre. Press box Utopia. Yet it probably did Australia no harm that they realised they can't win everything, all the time.
In fairness to them, the Aussie media started the process immediately, the Sydney Morning Herald carrying its entire front page to a contrite rugby editorial entitled PUBLIC NOTICE, to England and its sports fans, beginning: "You were not too old . . ." and culminating: "You played with class, toughness and grace. You were bloody superior . . . and you are, for the first time in 37 years, winners of a football World Cup."
It was an epic, fitting finale to the best World Cup yet. It may not have had the resonance of Nelson Mandela presenting the Webb Ellis Trophy to Francois Pienaar in 1995, but this tournament just about surpassed that one.
It's clear therefore that the 2007 finals should be held lock, stock and barrel in France, and if the French Federation and the IRB make overtures and financial compensation to the home unions, it is to be hoped they see the bigger picture.
The IRB might yield a profit of around €85 million, and with the profits from the last World Cup having been put aside as security against any unforeseen disasters that might suddenly hit them, it is their duty to use this unprecedented largesse to build the global game from the bottom up. The target, as outlined by Australia coach Eddie Jones, must be to ensure the teams ranked from 10 to 16 improve their standards to such a level that next time there are 16 teams genuinely competing for quarter-final places. Then it could be an even better World Cup.
And what of Ireland? One of the most interesting observations about Ireland's World Cup was in the aftermath of the defeat to Australia when Declan Kidney commented: "I wish we were playing them again next week. I wish we were playing in the Tri-Nations. It would be great for them."
And the thought occurred that Ireland have to play the bigger countries more. It was the secret to England's success as much as anything else, and even John Mitchell and Robbie Deans also conceded that the All Blacks had to play the leading Test teams more often.
Observing the unconfined, good-humoured and well-behaved celebrations of the English fans on Sunday night, you started dreaming of Ireland being there. A fantasy? Why not? Sixth to world champions is a massive climb, but one can't think of any other major sport where the distance is so short for Ireland.
With four years to plan for it, with a four-year contract, with more say-so about the composition of his backroom team, Eddie O'Sullivan can afford to dream.
Go for it Eddie.
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