Product Description

The rain is still pouring, the scores are level, the clock shows 100 minutes. Matt Dawson pulls the ball from the ruck, flicks it on to Jonny Wilkinson, who, with his right foot, drops the ball between the posts with effectively the last kick of the match. The most memorable result in English rugby history is sealed. England are world champions, and deservedly so. Team England Rugby's World Cup 2003: the Official Account of England's World Cup Truimph is the story of the momentous achievements of Clive Woodward's squad: the first team from the Northern Hemisphere to capture the World Cup. It picks from England's 2003 Grand Slam triumph, covering the pre-tournament warm-up games against Wales and France and the announcement of Clive Woodward's squad for Australia. Thereon in follows a match-by-match account of the opening pool games, including the hard-fought victories over South Africa and Samoa; the punishing quarter-final against Wales and the supremely accomplished victory over France in the semi-final, before the exhausting climax of extra-time in Sydney against the Wallabies -- a night when Martin Johnson led imperiously, the likes of Lawrence Dallglio, Richard Hill, Mike Tindall and Jason Robinson were a constant menace, and the kicking and all-round performance of Jonny Wilkinson ensured the Webb Ellis Trophy would be heading back on a plane back to the home of rugby. The World Cup triumph was a supreme England team effort, and the book features first-person accounts from numerous players -- including Martin Johnson, Jonny Wilkinson, Jason Robinson and Will Greenwood -- as well as Clive Woodward, Andy Robinson and the coaching staff. Part celebratory souvenir, part detailed and comprehensive record, World Cup 2003 is the fully authorised, behind-the-scenes account of English rugby's crowning moment.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #209588 in Books
• Published on: 2003-12-02
• Binding: Hardcover
• 192 pages

Synopsis
The rain is still pouring, the scores are level, the clock shows 100 minutes. Matt Dawson pulls the ball from the ruck, flicks it on to Jonny Wilkinson, who, with his right foot, drops the ball between the posts with effectively the last kick of the match. The most memorable result in English rugby history is sealed. England are world champions, and deservedly so. Team England Rugby's World Cup 2003: the Official Account of England's World Cup Truimph is the story of the momentous achievements of Clive Woodward's squad: the first team from the Northern Hemisphere to capture the World Cup. It picks from England's 2003 Grand Slam triumph, covering the pre-tournament warm-up games against Wales and France and the announcement of Clive Woodward's squad for Australia.

Thereon in follows a match-by-match account of the opening pool games, including the hard-fought victories over South Africa and Samoa; the punishing quarter-final against Wales and the supremely accomplished victory over France in the semi-final, before the exhausting climax of extra-time in Sydney against the Wallabies -- a night when Martin Johnson led imperiously, the likes of Lawrence Dallglio, Richard Hill, Mike Tindall and Jason Robinson were a constant menace, and the kicking and all-round performance of Jonny Wilkinson ensured the Webb Ellis Trophy would be heading back on a plane back to the home of rugby. The World Cup triumph was a supreme England team effort, and the book features first-person accounts from numerous players -- including Martin Johnson, Jonny Wilkinson, Jason Robinson and Will Greenwood -- as well as Clive Woodward, Andy Robinson and the coaching staff. Part celebratory souvenir, part detailed and comprehensive record, World Cup 2003 is the fully authorised, behind-the-scenes account of English rugby's crowning moment.

About the Author
Team England is an operation run by the England rugby squad.

Customer Reviews

Uninformative, brief and underwhelming
This book is in 11 chapters, a chapter each for the three warm up games, one for the world cup squad selection, and a chapter each for the seven world cup games. Each chapter's a quick read and (except the squad selection chapter) follows a standard pattern. A couple of pages of comments before the game, a quick highlight of the game, then a few comments from after the game. The comments are largely from Woodward and the senior players, and are the comments which were publicised in the large media coverage of the event. If you read the rugby articles in any of the main English national papers over the World Cup, you'll have read 90% of the book. Even if you hadn't, the comments soon become repetitive: pre-game 'we respect the opposition, but we are focussed' giving way to post-match 'they deserve credit, but we won, and will focus on the next match'.

The book does demonstrate the lack of ego and real work ethic that has permeated this great team, but it doesn't offer anything new or insightful. As a nicely presented and official account of one of this country's great sporting achievements, it makes a nice memento, but as a book it disappoints. There's no behind the scenes comment, no insightful looks into the relationships or the stresses and strains within the squad.

There would be no reason to buy this if England hadn't won the World Cup, and for an official guide that would presumably have been publicised anyway, this is a disappointment.

Decent, Great Price
This book is a review of the world cup from tem England's perspectie and it's quite interesting reading. With detailed information from Clive (or Sir Clive now) Woodward's squad selection, world cup warm up games, and the actual games at the world cup and the media reaction to everything. In the book you hear from pretty much every squad member on frustratment and joy on a whole range of subjects. It suprised me how philosophical rugby players are, and that they all seem to be more intullectual than I first took them for. You really get a good insite into players personality from this book from the shy Jonny Wilkinson, to the extremely talkaative Mike Catt. It also gives all the results from every game an superb quality pictures at stages of the book, of England in action during all of their matches, and of course, the great picture of Jonny Wilkinson slotting over the 'great drop goal' as I have named it. If you want a good sports book for a great price I would strongly recommend this to you.

what a waste - I hope the proceeds are going to Samoan rugby
whatever the price is, it's too much for this collection of press conference reports strung together with some photos which were much better reported in context elsewhere

as "the offical account" I have never been so disappointed with a book - definitely a christmas turkey

just hope the proceeds from this cynical commercial exploitation are given to the Samoan RFU