British rugby writers savour 'heroic' win

British rugby writers could barely contain themselves as England's class of 2003 were hailed as one of their greatest.

Former England lock Paul Ackford reached for all the superlatives in the Sunday Telegraph to describe England's 15-13 win over the All Blacks in Wellington on Saturday night - just their second in New Zealand.

"First, the rip-roaring, sensational headline. This was a famous victory, built on defensive excellence, experience and, dare one say it, bulldog spirit," Ackford wrote.

"That bottlers' tag has been flushed away for good. No other England side in history has done what this England squad have managed.

"To shut the Maori up on Monday night was impressive enough, but to close out the full-blown All Blacks after such a long domestic season was sensational.

"Savour the moment. Swirl it around, luxuriate in the taste, sip it some more and then swallow. Slowly."



Jonny Wilkinson's superior goalkicking and a sterling defensive effort were given kudos.

"New Zealand may float the excuse that they were understandably stodgy in their first outing of the season, but the truth is that they were bested by a side who had too much savvy for them, too much desire."

Ackford said it showed England's resilience, that it was possibly "their worst performance in three seasons," and they still won their 12th straight test despite having forwards Neil Back and Lawrence Dallaglio sinbinned in the second half.

"In patches they were ragged and mistake-ridden. To win playing that badly was heroic. There's no other word for it."

But there were some harsh words saved for flanker Back, "who came a hopeless second to Richie McCaw," while league convert Jason Robinson's "most mesmeric games may also be behind him."

The Independent trumpeted headlines like "The Triumph Beyond Belief" and "[Martin] Johnson's Indomitables Carve Their Name."

Former Wales first five-eighth Jonathon Davies singled out Dallaglio as the England star under the headline: "Lawrence the Lionheart, the Standard-Bearer of England."

"Now we know for certain that England can lift the World Cup in November," Davies wrote.

Eddie Butler in The Observer also singled out Dallaglio's mighty performance after being benched last year.

"Even when cooling his pecs in the sin bin, he carries clout. And now he's back at full blast on the field, he exudes power and influence."

- NZPA