When you turn the volume off, forget about it being a World Cup decider and just look at what happened in the game, some of the players will be pleased with the way they performed and others will not be pleased at all But the inquest can be saved for after Christmas. If you’re favourites, something must have gone right with your build-up.”We regather as a Test squad in January, and I have no intention of going through the good and bad aspects of the final against the Wallabies until then. “I saw us as favourites to win here in Australia and I believe we lived up to that rating throughout the competition,” he said. “I think we’re comfortable with the burden now – we’ve won 21 of our last 22 matches, after all – and the way I look at it, I would much prefer to go into a World Cup as the top-ranked side, rather than fourth or fifth. I’m sure people will reach the right conclusions, once they’ve thought about it carefully.”Woodward has already signed a contract taking him through to the 2007 World Cup in France, and he intends to travel there with a side rated clear favourites to defend the crown. But for the people involved with England in the here and now, it’s a matter of enjoying this moment and then sitting down together to talk through a few things. Any country who approaches selection in any other way has it wrong, as we’ve just demonstrated by winning here.”There will be a knock-on effect; those of us returning to Premiership rugby over the next couple of weeks can expect a fierce challenge from those players with an eye on our places.

“We have a policy of selecting the best players for England duty, irrespective of whether they’re 21 or 31 It’s the right policy, too. Neil Back, the captain’s colleague and confidante at Leicester, definitely plans to continue at the highest level, as does Dallaglio.”We’re talking about personal decisions, obviously, but from where I’m standing there is no reason to want to stop,” said the 31-year-old No 8 from Wasps. Now, in the cold light of day, the senior officers of a party mocked by the Australians as “Dad’s Army” are weighing up their options.Johnson indicated more than a year ago that this tournament would mark the end of his international career, and while he has backtracked to a degree in recent public conversations, he could not say yesterday whether he would make himself available for the 2004 Six Nations’ Championship, which begins in February with a match against Italy in Rome. Some of them shared a beer or three with Prince Harry in a city club – “I’ll say this for the boy; he can drink,” pronounced one member of the squad – while others, Lawrence Dallaglio included, hitched a lift back to the team hotel in Manly from the driver of an empty police wagon.

“It’s on,” the chief executive confirmed, the joyous sound of rotating turnstiles ringing in his ears.Yesterday, Martin Johnson and his triumphant colleagues were suitably bleary-eyed after a night on the tiles. The RFU have obtained clearance from the International Rugby Board to play the New Zealand Barbarians at Twickenham in a non-cap match that will be packaged as a celebration of Saturday’s extra-time victory over the Wallabies “I didn’t know it was definitely on,” the coach admitted. That is based on the Australians’ experience after becoming champions in 1999. As for Clive, we’ll start planning for 2007 the day after we get home.