To the unrestrained delight of the organisers Saturday's match at Sydney's Olympic stadium pitted defending champions Australia against their old colonial masters England.

Nearly half the record crowd of just under 83,000 wore the white of England and their celebrations were unconfined when Jonny Wilkinson dropped the winning goal in extra time.

England's 20-17 win will resound through the ages.

It was the first global team trophy for an English side since the 1966 soccer World Cup and the first time any northern hemisphere side has won the William Webb Ellis trophy.

Caricatured in some sections of the Australian media as boring and old, England were neither.

Although the heavy rain on Saturday was generally thought to give an advantage to England it was the men in white who constantly tried to run the ball.

Their veteran forward pack also lasted the pace, with captain Martin Johnson and number eight Lawrence Dallaglio in magnificent form.

The match was also a triumph for their first professional coach Clive Woodward, who put the finishing touches to the revolution in English rugby which began with Geoff Cooke in 1988.

Woodward laid the foundations for a stunning sporting success carefully and methodically. After finally winning a grand slam in the Six Nations championship this year, he took his best side to New Zealand and Australia in June.

"We are here to win," he announced and his team accordingly delivered.

On Saturday, Woodward outlined his selection policy while the visiting fans celebrated outside the stadium.

"It's a dangerous precedent to put out a weakened side two years before a World Cup," he said. "International rugby is about winning."

DIFFERENT COURSE

Yet only two weeks ago, the World Cup seemed destined to take a very different course.

After the pool stages, the expected quarter-finalists emerged with New Zealand and France looking the most dangerous of the final eight.

While England appeared off the pace and Australia struggled, the All Blacks and the French looked as if they had hit upon the formula to win the first World Cup of the 21st century.

The 1999 World Cup had been dominated by defence, with coaches copying rugby league formations. Champions Australia conceded only one try in the whole tournament.

Relishing the firm grounds and warm spring weather, New Zealand and France moved the ball wide with dazzling speed, utilising the full width of the field and using their mobile and skilled forwards to punch up the middle.

The results in the two Melbourne quarter-finals were impressive.

New Zealand gave the Springboks no chance in a 29-9 victory and France swept Ireland aside 43-21. England and Australia, by contrast, looked sluggish in Brisbane in their victories over Wales and Scotland respectively.

Reality reappeared in the Sydney semi-finals.

On a hot, humid Saturday night Australia tore into the All Blacks with unrestrained ferocity. Unable to get the ball to the outside backs, New Zealand took the correct option and attempted to drive the ball up through their forwards.

But the current New Zealand forwards, admittedly a pack still developing, could not make the inroads of their formidable predecessors and Australia, defying most of the pundits, won 22-10.

On the following night, the rain poured and England showed why they are the best all-round team in the world with a 24-7 win over France, who simply failed to come to terms with the conditions.

WORLD'S BEST

Jonny Wilkinson, whose form had been a matter of concern earlier in the tournament, at last showed why the English believe he is not just the best flyhalf but the best player in the world by kicking all his team's points.

Suddenly Sydney had the final all Australia wanted. The restaurants, hotels and bars were packed to overflowing throughout the final week and the speculation was endless.

The match, itself, exceeded expectations. Australia, not a vintage Wallaby team, were nevertheless a very good one.

England showed again they can win when it matters and their dominance was not reflected by the scoreline.

Ben Kay knocked on when he had only to fall over the line to score and a succession of basic errors allowed Australia into the match.

In retrospect, the finest tournament of the five to date will always seem like it was destined to end with a winning drop goal for Wilkinson, the kick that wiped out a generation of sporting humiliations for England at the hands of the Australians.

As a nation celebrates, the implications will be felt well outside the boundaries of English rugby clubs.