The catch, the shuffle and the drop-kick that soared between the posts with only 23 seconds of the game remaining brought joy to millions of English people and will make Jonny Wilkinson a multimillionaire.
He is expected to earn more than $13 million a year from sponsorship deals and endorsements, thanksto a cool head, a precision kick and a lifetime of practice that began when rugby was amateur and he was a little boy.
Despite the rain, the 82,957 crowd, the millions watching on television, and the seconds ticking away, Wilkinson did not seem to worry.
He scored, England won the Webb Ellis Cup, and a childhood dream was fulfilled in a way that made him to rugby what his friend David Beckham is to English soccer. Except Wilkinson has won something for his country.
"The man with the golden boot, the golden hair - everything's golden for Jonny," said the London public relations expert Max Clifford after the victory.
"There are very few sports where we're the best in the world, and he's so marketable. He's got a lot of humility and he's bright."
And Wilkinson had appeal to big-money sponsors, said Mr Clifford.
"David Beckham is a credit to himself but when he opens his mouth the magic goes. With Jonny Wilkinson that wouldn't happen. He would appeal to the big banks and the financial institutions and they're enormously rich."
England captain Martin Johnson is believed to be the second-highest earner in the England team, on around $1.5 million a year, thanks to deals with Tetleys, Qantas, adidas and Mercedes-Benz among others, although his commercial value will also soar as the first English team captain to lift a world trophy in a major sport since 1966.
Lawrence Dallaglio, 31, is said to be worth $1.33 million a year, thanks to Nike and Optimum sportswear.
Like others in the squad, his earnings are set to increase as a result of the victory.
Many present All Blacks are paid between $250,000 and $300,000, excluding endorsements.
