It's the Da Vinci squad

The England World Cup squad finally flew off to Germany today, taking the hopes and expectations of the nation with them.

Appropriately, the plane carrying them from Luton to Karlsruhe was named Pride Of The Nation and was displaying the Three Lions symbol. Two powerful symbols further enhanced the national mood.

A TV station launched its coverage with a re-working of Leonardo Da Vinci's The Last Supper. England captain David Beckham is in the seat occupied by Jesus, with coach Sven-Goran Eriksson and the team depicted as his disciples.

The designers, inspired by The Da Vinci Code, have riddled the painting with hidden meanings and messages. Sven's Last Supper has been created to mark the launch of entertainment channel UKTV G2's World Cup coverage and will be given away as part of a competition on the channel.

At Dover, a 50-metre image of Beckham and the team was projected onto the White Cliffs. The players were superimposed onto the famous image of Bobby Moore and the 1966 World Cup winning squad - no extra pressure then.

When the team take off, they will be served a traditional English afternoon tea of sandwiches and scones with jam and clotted cream. Also travelling out to Germany will be a huge cargo of food, drink, sports equipment, widescreen TVs - and Jaffa Cakes.

Two lorries packed with goods ranging from Rice Krispies to vibrating razors - not forgetting styling mousse - will be arriving at the England hotel, Schlosshotel Bühlerhöhe, in Baden-Baden.

The cargo includes 12 different types of cereal (24 boxes of Coco Pops and 25 boxes of Crunchie Nut), thousands of tea bags and sachets of Nescafé coffee,
and 120 bottles of Ribena. Walkers crisps, 12 packets of Birds Instant Custard mix and 30 bottles of salad cream as well as plasma TVs and DVD players are also being trucked out.

However, some residents in the Black Forest village of Bühlertal are upset about security measures for "big-shot Englishmen" who will train in their stadium.

Locals will need special passes to drive near the ground, and streets will be blocked off by police for 30 minutes every time the team bus passes.