Wave of English optimism sweeps Trafalgar Square

Brendan Gallagher delves into some of rugby’s most enduring images, their story and why they are still so impactful

What’s happening here?

It’s December 8, 2003 and a clear but brass monkeys Monday lunchtime in central London where England fans have congregated on Trafalgar Square to laud the victorious World Cup-winning team as they complete their open top tour. Police estimated a total attendance of 750,000+ for the day’s festivities which concluded with visits to 10 Downing Street and Buckingham Palace.

What’s the story behind the picture?

Overcoming endless knockbacks, disappointments, and doubts to land the ultimate prize. “To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield” to quote from Tennyson. Let’s put aside the 132 years England had been playing Test rugby before this moment and concentrate solely on the Clive Woodward era which had started six years earlier in 1997 when he succeeded Jack Rowell.

Woodward was famously England’s first professional coach and the first thing he did was to demand office space at Twickenham! It was a rocky road ahead with the Tour from Hell in 1998 an early reality check for a massively weakened squad even though the emergence of Jonny Wilkinson, Phil Vickery, Josh Lewsey, Matt Dawson and Lewis Moody eased the pain just a little.

A Grand Slam went begging in 1999 against Wales and then, after a summer in which the Lawrence Dallaglio News of the World business was a big distraction, England were found badly wanting in the quarter-finals of RWC1999 when Jannie De Beer drop-kicked them off the pitch at the Stade de France.

Better results started to come and a win over South Africa in Bloemfontein in 2000 was the start of an extraordinary, never to be matched again, run of 14 straight wins over southern hemisphere opposition, but still the process of ‘striving and seeking’ wasn’t over. In 2000 England blew another Grand Slam at Murrayfield and in 2001 they squandered yet another clean sweep in the delayed “Foot and mouth” Test against Ireland at Lansdown Road.

England seemed incapable of putting the perfect season together, except that in 2003 that’s exactly what they did. A commanding Grand Slam, away victories that summer over New Zealand, New Zealand Maori and Australia and then the World Cup itself.

What happened next?

From this extraordinary launching pad England rugby fell apart, or at the very least failed to kick on as Woodward had envisaged. In Woodward’s estimation England had won the World Cup despite the system not because of it, something that was entirely down to a dedicated, talented group of players and an equally committed backroom staff.

Woodward knew though that the world was catching up. More investment in the players and England’s pyramid of teams was needed; more access to the players who also needed even better and more consistent medical monitoring. More rest, more targeted conditioning. Most of his squad were back playing with their clubs days after arriving back from the World Cup for heaven’s sake.

Instead what he got was less of everything. The RFU lost their nerve and started to pare everything down and compromise on big calls which was red rag to Woodward.

Woodward’s temper was not improved with a middling 2004 Six Nations campaign – three wins two losses – which frankly was inevitable given the workload of his key players in the preceding 18 months. Then England, again understrength, got their backside kicked in the summer when getting stuffed by New Zealand and Australia on tour. Something had to change but the RFU continued to sit on their hands. Woodward walked.

Why is the picture iconic?

I know of few better celebration pictures than this. The spontaneous coming together of joyous fans at a location synonymous with marking national triumphs. The unselfconscious waving of the cross of St George from England fans who for generations had left all that passionate outpouring of emotion to the Celts and the French. This felt very different.

England players that morning thought a couple of thousand might turn up and were a bit embarrassed by all the fuss. They thought a bus tour a little OTT. Little did they know.

There was a feeling of optimistic hope that day in the crowd. This must be the start of something big, not just a one-off celebration. A mighty rugby nation was beginning to flex its muscles and tapping into the manifest excitement of fans and sponsors. For the first time there seemed a clear pathway, financially, for the club game. The market and passion for professional rugby was out there, the game was only going in one direction. Or so it seemed.

Footnote. England have been on a rollercoaster ever since. Andy Robinson took over from Woodward but was succeeded by Brian Ashton for RWC2007 where some of the pride and excellence resurfaced in reaching the final.

Two flawed World Cup campaigns followed before a Grand Slam in 2016 and a series win in Australia under Eddie Jones seemed to herald a much brighter future. But still they have been patchy – fifth in 2018 Six Nations, runners-up at RWC2019, fifth in 2021 Six Nations. Having conquered rugby’s Everest in 2003, England are still struggling to regain those giddy heights.

“Police estimated an attendance of 750,000+ for the day’s festivities”