England national rugby union team

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England
Union	Rugby Football Union
Ground	Twickenham Stadium
Coach	Brian Ashton
Captain	Phil Vickery
Most caps	Jason Leonard (114)
Top scorer	Jonny Wilkinson (849)[1]
Most tries	Rory Underwood (49)
Team colours
First international
(also the world's first) Scotland 4 - 1 England (27 March 1871)
Largest win
England 134 - 0 Romania (17 November 2001)
Worst defeat
Australia 76 - 0 England (6 June 1998)
World Cup
Appearances	5 (First in 1987)
Best result	Champions, 2003

The England national rugby union team (also referred to as England Rugby and the English rugby team) represents England at a national level in international rugby union competitions, notably the World Cup and the Six Nations Championship. The team is governed by the Rugby Football Union, which oversees all rugby union in England. It is traditionally one of the leading teams in international rugby union.

The history of the team extends back to 1871, when the English rugby team officially played their first match, losing to Scotland. With the advent of the Six Nations (then the Home Nations) in 1883, England dominated the early championships, winning the first two and sharing the third with Scotland. Similar success was found in the early 1900s, with England winning 10 championships (two being shared), from 1910 to 1930 (not held in 1915-19 due to World War I). Eight of these 10 victories were grand slams, meaning, England won all their matches in the tournament. Similar success was found in the following decade, when England won four championships from 1931 to 1939. The Rugby World Cup was introduced in 1987, England made it to the final of the 1991 World Cup, only to be defeated by Australia.

They are the current World Cup champions, having won the 2003 World Cup. England compete annually in the Six Nations Championship and have won that championship and its predecessors more times than any other nation, also having completed the most grand slams (meaning the side won all its matches) out of the six competing nations. England are also the current holders of the Calcutta Cup.

Contents 1 History 1.1 1871-1899 1.2 1900-1939 1.3 1940-1979 1.4 1980-1999 1.5 2000-present 2 Twickenham 3 Strip 4 Records and statistics 4.1 Overall 4.2 World Cup 4.3 Biggest wins 4.4 Biggest losses 5 Players 5.1 Current squad 5.2 Former captains 5.3 Most appearances 5.4 Other Notable Former Players 6 Coaches 7 See also 8 Notes and references 9 Bibliography 10 External links

[edit] History

Main article: History of the England national rugby union team

[edit] 1871-1899

Ex-pupils from many of England's private schools (primarily Rugby) spread the game in the first half of the 19th Century.^[2] They took it to the universities (a club forming at Cambridge in 1839), to London (where Blackheath were founded in the 1860s) and the provinces.^[2] England's first international game was against Scotland on Monday 27 March, 1871.^[3] Not only was the match England's first, but also the first ever rugby union international.^[3] The game took place at Raeburn Place, Edinburgh, Scotland. Scotland won four points to one in front of 4,000 people.^[4]

A subsequent international took place at the Oval in London, England; with England defeating Scotland 8-3.^[5][6] The next game between the two nations was at Hamilton Crescent, Glasgow, and resulted in a draw.^[5][7]

In 1875 England played their first game against the Irish at the Oval, winning seven nil; the match was Ireland's first Test.^[8][9] England hosted Scotland in 1880 at the Whalley Range ground in Manchester; which they won to become the first winners of the Calcutta Cup.^[10][11]

England played Wales for the first time, on February 19, 1881 at Richardson's Field in Blackheath.^[11][12] England racked up their largest victory, defeating the Welsh 30 points to nil.^[12] The subsequent meeting the following year at St Helens in Swansea was a closer contest; with England winning 10 nil.^[13] In 1883, the first Home Nations championship was held, and England emerged as the inaugural winners.^[14]

In 1889, England played their first match against a non-home nations team. England defeated the New Zealand Natives 7-0 at Rectory Field in Blackheath.^[15][16] In 1890 England shared the Home Nations trophy with Scotland.^[17] The following year England lost their game against Scotland, who won the tournament.^[17] However, the following year, England won all their games and won the tournament outright.^[17] England did not perform as well in the subsequent tournaments, only winning one game in both the 1893 and 1894 Home Nations championships.^[17] They won two of their three games in 1895, but dropped to winning one game in the 1896 and 1897 championships.^[17] They experienced a Home Nations whitewash in 1899, when they failed to win a game.^[17]

[edit] 1900-1939

After winning one match in 1900, England was again whitewashed in 1901. They returned to form the following year, dropping one game. In 1905 England again lost all of their Home Nations games, and ended the year with their first encounter with the New Zealand All Blacks; the All Blacks won 15-0. In 1906 France began playing in the Home Nations tournament, and England won their matches against France and Scotland. Also in 1906, England played the South Africa (known as the Springboks) for the first time; drawing three all. In 1907 England defeated France, but then lost to all three Home Nations. In 1908 and 1909 England won two of their four fixtures. Also in 1909, England played Australia (known as the Wallabies) for the first time; losing three points to nine.

Twickenham was opened as the RFU's new home in 1910. This heralded a golden era for English rugby union. England's first international at Twickenham brought them success over Wales, and England won the International Championship (also known as the Five Nations) for the first time since the great schism of 1895. Although England did not retain the title in 1911 afyer winning and losing two games, they did share it in 1912 when they only lost one game. A Five Nations Grand Slam was then achieved in 1913 and 1914. When the Five Nations resumed following World War I in 1921 England won another Grand Slam. They lost a game to eventual champions Wales and drew with France in the 1922 championship. In both 1924 and 1925 England won the Grand Slam.

They started 1925 off with a loss to the All Black Invincibles in front of 60,000 fans at Twickenham. This was followed by two wins, a draw and a loss at the 1925 Five Nations. England slipped to just the one win in 1926, and two wins in 1927. In 1928 England achieved a Grand Slam although they only won the two games at the 1929 championship. England the tournament in 1930 before it returned to its' Home Nations format as France were excluded due to allegations of professionalism.

The Springboks played England in front of 70,000 spectators at Twickenham in 1931. England won the 1934 Home Nations with a "Triple Crown",^[18] and in 1935 achieved their first victory over the All Blacks.^[19][20] In 1937, England won the Home Nations, with a Triple Crown, and shared it in 1939.

[edit] 1940-1979

When the Five Nations resumed after World War Two in 1947 (France was re-admitted) England shared the championship with Wales. The following year England did not win a game; drawing with Wales and losing the rest of their games. The early Five Nations competitions of the 1950s were unsuccessful for England; winning one match in the 1950 and 1951 championships. England toured to South Africa for the first time in 1952 where they lost to the Springboks three points to eight. England was victorious at the 1953 Five Nations, winning all their matches bar a draw with Wales.

England won two of their games at the 1956 Five Nations, and followed this up with a Grand Slam the next year. They drew two games in the 1958 Five Nations; enough to win them the championship. They also defeated Australia in England that year. France dominated the Five Nations championship for the early years of the 1960s, but England did share a win with them in 1960. Following this shared championship, England lost to the Springboks in 1961.

England broke France's four-championship streak by winning the 1963 Championship. After this victory, England played three tests in the Southern Hemisphere and lost all three; 21-11 and 9-6 against the All Blacks, and 18-9 against Australia. The All Blacks came to England the following year; defeating England 14-0. England did not win a single game in 1966, and managed only a draw with Ireland. They did not win another Championship that decade.

The RFU's centenary year was 1971 when England struggled to overcome Japan 6-3 in Tokyo. Nevertheless England had wins against Southern Hemisphere teams that decade; with victories over South Africa in 1972, New Zealand in 1973 and Australia in 1976. The 1972 Five Nations Championship was not completed due to the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Following the British embassy in Dublin being burnt down by a mob after Bloody Sunday, and threatening letters being sent to players, Scotland and Wales refused to play their Five Nations away fixtures in Ireland. However England agreed to play an extra fixture in Dublin and were given a standing ovation lasting five minutes. After losing 18-9 at Lansdowne Road, the England captain, John Pullin famously stated, "We might not be very good but at least we turned up."

[edit] 1980-1999

England started the decade with a Grand Slam victory in the 1980 Five Nations - their first for 23 years; earning England their first BBC Sports Personality of the Year Team Award. In 1981 England drew and won against Argentina. England kicked off 1982 with a 15-11 victory over the Wallabies; the game was made famous by Erica Roe's famous streak. In the 1983 Five Nations England failed to win a game and picked up the wooden spoon]. In 1985 England lost twice to the All Blacks on tour to New Zealand - 18-13, and a convincing 42-15.

In the first Rugby World Cup in New Zealand and Australia, England were grouped in pool A alongside Australia, Japan and the United States. England lost their first game 19-6 against Australia. They went on to defeat Japan 60-7, and the United States, 34-6, to place them second in their pool. They met Wales in their quarter-final and lost the match 16-3.

In 1989 England won games against Romania and Fiji, followed by their first three Five Nations games of 1990. They lost to Scotland in their last game however; giving Scotland a Grand Slam. In 1991 England won their first Grand Slam since 1980.

England hosted the 1991 Rugby World Cup and were in pool A, along with the All Blacks, Italy and the United States. The opening game of the tournament at Twickenham, between the All Blacks and England; which the All Blacks won 18-12. England subsequently defeated Italy and USA to face Francein their quarter-final. In a fiercely contested match they defeated France 19-10. England then defeated Scotland 9-6 to secure a place in the final against Australia. The final was played in front of a capacity crowd at Twickenham, and England eventually lost the match 12-6.

The next year, England completed another Grand Slam in the 1992 Five Nations. They extended this success to the rest of their fixtures that year by beating Canada and the newly reinstated Springboks. In the lead up to the 1995 Rugby World Cup in South Africa, England completed another Grand Slam - their third in five years. England defeated Argentina, Italy and Samoa in pool play. They then defeated Australia 25-22 in their quarter-final. England's semi-final was dominated by the All Blacks and featured four tries by Jonah Lomu; England lost 45-29. They then lost the third/fourth place match against France.

In 1997 Clive Woodward became England's coach. That year England drew with New Zealand at Twickenham, after being heavily defeated in Manchester the week before. England toured Australia, New Zealand and South Africa in 1998. Many of the England team made themselves unavailable for the tour nicknamed the 'Tour of Hell' where England suffered a humiliating 76-0 defeat to the Wallabies. In 1999 during the last ever Five Nations match Scott Gibbs sliced through six English tackles to score in the last minute, and the last ever Five nations title went to Scotland.

[edit] 2000-present

England commenced the new decade by winning the inaugural Six Nations title.^[21] In 2001 Ireland defeated England 20-14 in a postponed match at Lansdowne Road to deny them a Grand Slam.^[22] Although the 2002 Six Nations title was won by France, England did win the Triple Crown.^[23] In 2002 England defeated Argentina in Buenos Aires, and then the All Blacks, Australia, and South Africa at Twickenham.^{[24][25][26][27]} In 2003 England won the Grand Slam for the first time since 1995. This was followed by wins over Australia and the All Blacks in June.

Going into the 2003 Rugby World Cup England were one of the tournament favourites. They reached the final on 22 November 2003 against Australia. England were World Cup winners after a winning Jonny Wilkinson drop goal in extra time; the final score was 20-17. On December 8 the English team greeted 750,000 supporters on their parade through London before meeting Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace.

In the 2004 Six Nations, England lost to both France and Ireland and finished third.^[28] Sir Clive Woodward resigned on September 2 and Andy Robinson was appointed England head coach.^[29] Robinson's first Six Nations campaign in 2005 resulted in fourth place after losing three, and winning two matches.^[30] Following the 2005 British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand, England hosted Australia on 12 November at Twickenham where England beat their old rivals 26-16.^[31] The All Blacks then visited Twickenham and won 23-19.^[32]

After losing three 2006 Six Nations matches, an RFU review was conducted. The review decided to bring in new coaching staff, and although Andy Robinson kept his place as head coach, and the position of Elite Rugby Director was created.^[33] Rob Andrew was appointed to the new position, and three new assistant coaches were bought in.^[34] In 2006's mid-year rugby Tests England travelled to Australia for two Tests. Both were lost; the first 34-3 and the second 43-18.^[35]

England lost their first two end-of-year internationals to New Zealand (20-41), and Argentina (18-25).^[36][37] Argentina's victory was their first over England at Twickenham.^[36] England managed to win against South Africa 23-21.^[38][36] However, the following week South Africa exacted revenge beat England 14-25.^[39] This left England with eight losses in their last nine Tests; their worst ever match record. Coach Andy Robinson resigned after this run, and attack coach Brian Ashton was appointed head coach in December 2006.^[34]

England started the 2007 Six Nations with the Calcutta Cup tie against Scotland. They won 42-20 with Jonny Wilkinson returning and scoring 27 points.^[40] England continued with victories over Italy at Twickenham, which they won 20-7.^[41] Then a historic match at Croke Park against Ireland was next. This game turned out to be England's heaviest defeat against Ireland and the highest number of points they had ever conceded in a Five/Six Nations match. England recovered however to defeat favourites France 26-18 at Twickenham, their first victory over France since the 2003 World Cup. Before losing to Wales at the Millenium Stadium 27-18 in the final game of the tournament.

England is in Pool A for the 2007 World Cup in France and will play South Africa, Samoa, USA and Tonga in the group stage.^[42] The winners of pool A will play the runners up from pool B (QF3) and the runners up will play the winners of pool B (QF1), which consists of Australia, Wales, Fiji, Canada and Japan.^[42][43]

[edit] Twickenham

Up until 1910 the English rugby team used various stadia before settling at Twickenham Stadium. These grounds included Kennington Oval and Crystal Palace in London; Whalley Range and Fallowfield in Manchester; St John's Ground, Headingley and Meanwood Road in Leeds; Richardson's Field and Rectory Field in Blackheath; Crown Flatt in Dewsbury; the Athletic Ground in Richmond and Birkenhead Park. Kingsholm in Gloucester, Welford Road in Leicester (both home to current English clubs) and Ashton Gate in Bristol were also used.

In late 1905, the Rugby Football Union saw the benefit in owning their own ground following sell out matches against New Zealand in 1905 and South Africa in 1906 at Crystal Palace. In 1906, the Rugby Football Union arranged for William Williams to find a home ground for English Rugby. The land for the ground was purchased the following year for £5,572 12s and 6d, construction began the next year.

The first England match was held on October 9, 1910 between England and Wales. England ran out winners, 11 points to 6, beating Wales for the first time since 1898. England boasts a great record of winning at their home ground which at one-time was nicknamed 'Fortress Twickenham'. Recently Twickenham has been under a regeneration project, in which the ground's South Stand has been rebuilt, making the stadium into a complete bowl. The first match to be played at the redeveloped Twickenham was the fourth End of Year International played on Sunday November 5 2006. The match was against New Zealand which England lost 20-41 in front of a record crowd of 82,076.^{[citation needed]}

Coming into the last match of the 1988 season, against Ireland at Twickenham, England had lost 15 of their previous 23 matches in the Five Nations Championship. The Twickenham crowd had only seen one England try in the previous two years, and at half time against Ireland they were 0-3 down. During the second half the England scored a remarkable six tries in a thumping 35-3 win. Three of the tries came in quick succession from Chris Oti, a black player making his Twickenham debut. A group from the Benedictine school Douai started to sing a rugby club favourite – the gospel hymn Swing Low, Sweet Chariot – in honour of their new hero; the whole crowd joined in. At the next home game, against Australia, a young centre named Will Carling made his début as England captain in another rousing victory. The England team was about to embark upon a period of great success and Swing Low, Sweet Chariot became synonymous with Twickenham and the England team.

[edit] Strip

England plays in white shirts, white shorts and navy socks with white tops. The emblem on the shirts is a red rose, rather than the Plantagenet Three Lions displayed on the shirts of the England football and England cricket teams. Currently the strip is manufactured by Nike and O₂ is the shirt sponsor.

Prior to an English team being sent to Edinburgh to play a Scottish side, the then multinational Rugby Football Union created the national side's emblem. A red rose was chosen to be the side’s emblem.^[44] Myth as to what inspired the creation of the emblem traces back to Lawrence Sheriff (founder of the Rugby School). Elizabeth I had presented Sheriff with a coat of arms; when Rugby was founded they based their own coat of arms on his (which contained the Red Rose).^[44] The Rugby School’s strip was white, which is where England got theirs from, so it is speculated that the rose that now appears on the English jersey may have been taken as a symbolic image from the school's badge.^[44]

It is sometimes light-heartedly remarked that two men on the subcommittee who selected the first English side hailed from Lancashire and thus may been involved in the selction on the kit (including the rose).^[44] This possibility seems unlikely though, as other members would not have accepted an obviously regional emblem on a national jumper.^[44]

Alfred Wright was an employee of the Rugby Football Union; he is credited with the standardisation and new design of the rose, which up until 1920 had seen variation in its depiction.^[44] The Wright design is thought to have been used without major alteration until the late 1990s.^[44] It was not until 1997 that the rose was redesigned to a chic representation; this change was led by Nike who became the official strip supplier.

[edit] Records and statistics

[edit] Overall

Test record against all nations, updated 2007-03-18:^[45]

Against	Played	Won	Lost	Drawn	% Won
Scotland	124	66	41	17	53.23
Ireland	120	69	43	8	57.50
Wales	115	52	51	12	45.22
France	87	47	33	7	54.02
Australia	34	13	20	1	38.24
New Zealand	29	6	22	1	20.69
South Africa	26	12	13	1	46.15
Argentina	13	9	3	1	69.23
Italy	13	13	0	0	100.00
Canada	6	6	0	0	100.00
Fiji	4	4	0	0	100.00
Romania	4	4	0	0	100.00
Samoa	4	4	0	0	100.00
United States	4	4	0	0	100.00
Georgia	1	1	0	0	100.00
Japan	1	1	0	0	100.00
Netherlands	1	1	0	0	100.00
Tonga	1	1	0	0	100.00
Uruguay	1	1	0	0	100.00
Total	596	318	230	48	53.36

[edit] World Cup

• 1987 - Quarter finals
• 1991 - Runners Up
• 1995 - Semi finals (4th Place)
• 1999 - Quarter finals
• 2003 - Champions

[edit] Biggest wins

Home

• Romania : 134-0 (134 points), 17 November 2001 at Twickenham
• Netherlands : 110-0 (110 points), 14 November 1998
• United States : 106-8 (98 points), 21 August 1999
• Tonga : 101-10 (91 points), 15 October 1999 at Twickenham
• Georgia : 84-6 (78 points), 12 October 2003
• Canada : 70-0 (70 points), 13 November 2004 at Twickenham
• Japan : 70-7 (63 points), 30 May 1987
• Italy : 67-7 (60 points), 2 October 1999 at Twickenham
• Argentina : 51-0 (51 points), 3 November 1990
• South Africa : 53-3 (50 points), 23 November 2002 at Twickenham
• Wales : 50-10 (40 points), 23 March 2002 at Twickenham
• Scotland : 43-3 (40 points), 3 March 2001 at Twickenham
• Samoa : 40-3 (37 points), 26 November 2005 at Twickenham
• Fiji : 58-23 (35 points), 4 November 1989 at Twickenham
• Ireland : 50-18 (32 points), 5 February 2000 at Twickenham
• France : 48-19 (29 points), 7 April 2001 at Twickenham
• Australia : 40-15 (25 points), 27 July 1991

Away

• Uruguay : 13-111 (98 points), 2 November 2003 in Brisbane
• Ireland : 6-46 (40 points), 15 February 1997 in Dublin
• New Zealand : 10-16 (6 points), 15 September 1973 at Eden Park, Auckland.

[edit] Biggest losses

Home

• New Zealand : 20-41 (21 points), 5 November 2006 at Twickenham in front of a record crowd of 82,076^[46]

Away

• Australia : 76-0 (76 points), 6 June 1998 in Brisbane^[47]
• Ireland : 43-13 (30 points), 24 February 2007 in Dublin^[47]

[edit] Players

[edit] Current squad

Squad for the 2007 Six Nations Championship:^[48]

Forwards Player Club Position Steve Borthwick Bath Rugby Lock George Chuter Leicester Tigers Hooker Martin Corry Leicester Tigers No. 8/Flanker/Lock Louis Deacon Leicester Tigers Lock Nick Easter‡ Harlequins No. 8/Flanker Perry Freshwater USA Perpignan Prop/Hooker Danny Grewcock Bath Rugby Lock Magnus Lund Sale Sharks Flanker James Haskell London Wasps Flanker Lee Mears Bath Rugby Hooker Lewis Moody Leicester Tigers Flanker Tom Palmer London Wasps Lock Tim Payne London Wasps Prop Tom Rees London Wasps Flanker Steve Thompson Northampton Saints Hooker Stuart Turner Sale Sharks Prop Phil Vickery (c) London Wasps Prop Dan Ward-Smith Bristol Rugby No. 8 Julian White Leicester Tigers Prop Joe Worsley London Wasps Flanker ‡Replacement for injured Joe Worsley

Backs Player Club Position Iain Balshaw Gloucester RFC Fullback/Wing Mike Catt # London Irish Fullback/Fly-half/Inside centre/Wing Mark Cueto Sale Sharks Wing Harry Ellis Leicester Tigers Scrum-half Andy Farrell Saracens F.C. Outside centre/Flanker Toby Flood Newcastle Falcons Fly-half/Centre Shane Geraghty London Irish Fly-half Josh Lewsey London Wasps Wing/Fullback/Centre Olly Morgan† Gloucester RFC Fullback Jamie Noon Newcastle Falcons Centre Peter Richards Gloucester RFC Scrum-half Jason Robinson Sale Sharks Fullback/Wing David Strettle ~ Harlequins Fullback/Wing Mathew Tait Newcastle Falcons Centre/Wing Mike Tindall Gloucester RFC Centre Jonny Wilkinson Newcastle Falcons Fly-half †Replacement for injured Iain Balshaw ~Replacement for injured Jason Robinson #(Captain for game v France)

Current coaches

• Director of Elite Rugby: Rob Andrew
• Head Coach: Brian Ashton
• Forwards Coach: John Wells
• Defence Coach: Mike Ford
• Assistant Coach: Tim Snowdon

[edit] Former captains

List of principal captains.

• Wavell Wakefield
• Dr Ronald Cove-Smith
• Eric Evans
• John Pullin
• Bill Beaumont
• Paul Dodge
• Peter Winterbottom
• Mike Harrison
• Will Carling
• Phil de Glanville
• Lawrence Dallaglio
• Martin Johnson
• Jason Robinson
• Martin Corry
• Phil Vickery (Current Captain)

Inductees to the International Rugby Hall of Fame in bold.

[edit] Most appearances

#	Player	Career	Caps
1	Jason Leonard	1990-2004	114
2	Rory Underwood	1984-96	85
3	Martin Johnson	1993-2003	84
4	Lawrence Dallaglio	1995-2006	77
=	Matt Dawson	1995-2006	77
6	Will Carling	1988-97	72
7	Rob Andrew	1985-97	71
=	Richard Hill	1997-2004	71
9	Danny Grewcock	1997-Present	69
10	Mike Catt	1994-Present	67

[edit] Other Notable Former Players

Rob Andrew Neil Back Sir Arthur Blakiston Mike Burton Carston Catcheside Geoff Conway Fran Cotton W.J.A. Davies W.P.C. Davies Peter Dixon David Duckham Wade Dooley John Finlan

Will Greenwood Jeremy Guscott Dusty Hare Austin Healey Richard Hill (flanker) Olly Holland Nigel Horton Peter Jackson (1930 - 2004) C.A. Kershaw Douglas Lambert Brian Moore Tony Neary Prince Alexander Obolensky (1916 - 1940)

Alan Old Ronald Poulton-Palmer Chris Ralston Dean Richards Andy Ripley Alan Rotherham Adrian Stoop Rory Underwood Roger Uttley Harry Vassall Jan Webster Peter Wheeler

[edit] Coaches

• Don White (20 Dec 1969 - 17 Apr 1971)
• John Elders (15 Jan 1972 - 16 Mar 1974)
• John Burgess (18 Jan 1975 - 31 May 1975)
• Peter Colston (3 Jan 1976 - 17 Mar 1979)
• Mike Davis (24 Nov 1979 - 6 Mar 1982)
• Dick Greenwood (15 Jan 1983 - 20 Apr 1985)
• Martin Green (1 Jun 1985 - 8 Jun 1987)
• Geoff Cooke (16 Jan 1988 - 19 Mar 1994)
• Jack Rowell (4 Jun 1994 - 12 Jul 1997)
• Sir Clive Woodward (15 Nov 1997 - September 2 2004)^[49]
• Andy Robinson (15 October 2004 - November 29 2006)^[50][51]
• Brian Ashton (20 December 2006 - Incumbant)^[52]

[edit] See also

• English sevens team
• British and Irish Lions
• Calcutta Cup
• Churchill Cup
• Rugby union in England
• England Saxons
• Six Nations
• Triple Crown
• Millennium Trophy

[edit] Notes and references

[edit] Bibliography

• Palenski, Ron (2003). Century in Black - 100 Years of All Black Test Rugby. Hodder Moa Beckett Publishers Limited. ISBN 1-86958-937-8. 

[edit] External links

Official

• England Rugby Football Union website
• England Rugby website
• Twickenham Stadium
• Museum of Rugby

Resources

• The origins of rugby
• History of rugby in other countries
• Short history of rugby
• Origin of the red rose
• Brief history of the Six Nations
• Biographies and details of caps at Sporting heroes.net
• Unofficial England Rugby Union - Fan Site
• English rugby union news from Planet Rugby
• BBC account of 2003 World Cup victory

Preceded by Australia

Rugby World Cup Winners 2003-Present

Succeeded by Incumbent

v • d • e Rugby union in England
Federation:	Rugby Football Union
National team:	England • England Saxons • England Sevens • British and Irish Lions
International Competitions:	Rugby World Cup • Six Nations Championship • Heineken Cup • European Challenge Cup • European Shield • Churchill Cup • Rugby World Cup Sevens • IRB Sevens World Series • London Sevens
Domestic Competitions:	Guinness Premiership • EDF Energy Cup • National Division One • National Division Two • National Division Three North • National Division Three South
Guinness Premiership teams:	Bath • Bristol • Gloucester • Harlequins • Leicester Tigers • London Irish • Newcastle Falcons • Northampton Saints • Sale Sharks • Saracens • London Wasps • Worcester Warriors
National Division One teams:	Bedford • Cornish Pirates • Coventry • Doncaster • Exeter Chiefs • Leeds Tykes • London Welsh • Moseley • Newbury • Nottingham • Otley • Pertemps Bees • Plymouth Albion • Rotherham • Sedgley Park • Waterloo