English World Cup parade draws close to a million

LONDON - London has staged the biggest sporting celebration in its history as three quarters of a million people poured into the capital to see the nation's rugby union heroes parade the World Cup through the city centre.

Fans, many draped in the red and white flag of Saint George, braved bitter cold to catch a glimpse of the players as they rode through the heart of the city in two open-topped buses.

As the procession crawled to Trafalgar Square at the speed of a lumbering prop forward, thousands of supporters struck up rolling choruses of "Swing Low Sweet Chariot", the popular anthem of English rugby union.

Schoolchildren played truant to join the party and their grandparents said the celebrations -- triggered by England's dramatic 20-17 victory over Australia last month -- surpassed even those in 1966, when England won the soccer World Cup.

"This means more than '66," said 69-year-old Godfrey Harvey, who recalled watching that final with his wife at home on their small black-and-white television. "This was superb because the Aussies (Australians) had had it their own way for so long."

The parade brought Oxford Street to a halt at the height of the Christmas shopping season and swept down Regent Street, where it was greeted by a huge flag of Saint George covering the street's elegant Georgian facades.

Fans, some of whom had slept out on one of the coldest nights of the year to guarantee a good view, stood 12-deep along the route and packed every inch of Trafalgar Square, the traditional epicentre of London street parties.

Police estimated the crowd at 750,000, far more than took to the streets 37 years ago to celebrate winning the soccer World Cup -- still regarded as England's finest sporting feat.

"This is absolutely fantastic," said veteran prop forward Jason Leonard. "So many people out there have turned out to show their appreciation of us and allow us to do the same to them. I don't think we will take the smiles off our faces all day."

TEA WITH THE QUEEN

The players were due to take tea with the Queen after the parade and then head to the prime minister's Downing Street residence for a champagne reception.

As the crowd drifted away from the square, some fans piled into "The Walkabout", one of the city's many Australian pubs.

"I'm just here to gloat," said one smiling fan clutching a pint of Australian lager.

Barman Simon Grant, from Melbourne, said: "It's all English in here today."

In a gentle dig at their Antipodean rivals, one central London food shop offered its customers "Humble Pie" -- an Australian version, made with kangaroo meat, of the traditional steak and kidney pie.

The parade, blessed with brilliant but glacial sunshine, was of a kind usually reserved for state visits. The gates of the Marble Arch monument were opened to allow it through -- an honour normally bestowed only on the royals.

England's victory has sparked an outpouring of national pride in a country which has grown all too accustomed to sporting failure in recent years.

Now rugby, a sport so often overshadowed by soccer, has taken centre stage and England coach Clive Woodward has been tipped for a knighthood in the forthcoming New Year's Honours List.