Jonny can handle it

"I want to get back to my family and feel comfortable. I want to maintain my lifestyle. I don't want to lose that. I have learned from the World Cup how important it is to enjoy what you are doing."

Wilkinson, who needed to be shepherded through fans at Heathrow Airport by a posse of security guards, said he was "overawed" by the number of people who turned up at Heathrow's Terminal 4 at 5am to greet the team.

Woodward thanked the fans, many of whom had queued all night, for the welcome. "In Australia we were gobsmacked by the English support in the stadiums." he said.

"When we came to the airport this morning it was very, very special. I think the whole country should be proud of what we have achieved. I'd just like to say a big thank-you to all those people who got up so early, I've never seen anything like it, it was just fantastic.

"Obviously we were concerned out there on doing a job from game to game. Only now has it all started to hit home what we have done. I am proud to be English and proud to be home. I'm just looking forward to getting home, having a cup of tea and putting my feet up." Johnson added: "It was just incredible. Once we got on the bus, we had to wait there for half an hour surrounded fans. It was fantastic. I never expected anything like it at all. It's a strange feeling, to do it out there and then come back to this, it's just all sinking in."

Fans of all ages turned up to greet the team. Many abandoned their cars on the side of the road leading up to the airport to make sure they did not miss the arrival of the first England team to win a major sport World Cup since the football triumph of 1966. Veteran flanker Neil Back carried the Webb Ellis Cup to the coach through the fans outside and on to the team bus.

Johnson then walked up and down the aisle of the coach showing the trophy to fans who burst into renditions of Swing Low, Sweet Chariot. The biggest roar was reserved for Wilkinson.

Centre Mike Catt said: "The reception was overwhelming. At five in the morning to have so many thousands of people there. We did not know what to expect." Fellow centre Will Greenwood said: "It's incredible. We didn't get much of a feeling what was going on back home.

"And when we stepped off the plane it was absolutely crazy. The reaction is incredible. You've got to enjoy it and ride the wave. It's unbelievable."

Greenwood, a fanatical football fan, said he hoped the reaction back home would be as enthusiastic as during England's successful run to the semifinals of the 1990 World Cup in Italy.

He added: "This is a special day and a very special bunch of boys."

Some fans also made the journey to England's hotel in Bagshot, Surrey.

Plans are being made for a reception at Downing Street and a possible victory parade through central London. Woodward could be knighted after the triumph and one fan had already made the decision. He held up a banner which said simply: "Arise, Sir Clive."