The 105 seconds that made history

14 April 2012

They were 105 seconds which shaped England's sporting history. Less than two minutes in which 37 years of despair were transformed into ecstasy and the 24-year-old Jonny Wilkinson etched his name and his right boot into the nation's hearts.

From the most remote farmhouse in England to the Telstra Stadium in Sydney, from pub to rugby club, they were 105 seconds which united a country.
But that last spell could hardly have begun more distastrously:

98min 15sec

England led 14-5 at half-time and then succumbed to a lastsecond penalty in normal time. Their supporters watch in horror as Elton Flatley brings Australia level once more deep into extra-time with a penalty kick, awarded after Lawrence Dallaglio illegally plays the ball on the floor. Despair back in England has turned to a sense of foreboding. It cannot be won now. Can it?

98min 20sec

Enter Martin Johnson, a leader of men for whom failure is not a word that belongs on the rugby field. Johnson has come too far and fought too hard in the England cause to give up now. In an instant, he has weighed up the situation.
Johnson: 'We planned a line-out and what we'd do from there and we got ourselves in a position to win the game. After they kicked the equalising penalty, we called a long kick-off and we presumed they would put it into touch so we would get the line-out.'

98min 38sec

Wilkinson restarts, sending a deep kick into Australian territory. The ball is carried by the dreadlocked George Smith and passed to full back Mat Rogers, whose kick barely makes the halfway line. England have the chance to make ground.
In the ITV commentary box, Steve Smith, former England scrum-half, knows exactly what is needed. 'Win your own line-out, get it to Wilkinson, drive it forward, get within drop-goal position and let the young maestro have a shot.' It sounds so simple.

98min 58sec

Hooker Steve Thompson gathers himself for one last throw to the back of the line-out. The tactic has proved a disaster earlier in the final. This time, though, Thompson's throw finds substitute Lewis Moody, who makes a clean catch and drops the ball immediately into the hands of scrum half Matt Dawson.
Moody: 'I knew the call, knew what was expected and just made sure I got a clean catch.'
Those dressed in the rain-sodden white England shirts find their voices once more. In the stand, England coach Clive Woodward struggles to hide his emotions. He knows England should already have won. He knows they still can.

99min 10sec

Dawson offloads to Wilkinson, who spins it straight to centre Mike Catt. The substitute, left out of the starting line-up despite his herioc semi-final display against France, drives at the gold and green jerseys ahead of him and is felled by a tackle from fly half Stephen Larkham.
Catt feeds the ball back on the ground, Northampton's Dawson assumes his usual position and assesses his options. A drop goal is needed, but can Wilkinson make it from here?
Suddenly Dawson spots a gap and manages to gain 15 priceless yards before being hauled down by Rogers and Smith.
Dawson: 'The ball was at the back of a ruck and I had to weigh up the odds. That's what I'm there for. Do I give Jonny static ball and cross my fingers that he's got a 45-yard drop goal?
'I saw the first defender was in the blocks like Linford Christie ready to come out and I just thought: "He's looking a bit twitchy, he might fly."
'So I threw the dummy and went through. Then it was just about holding on to the ball and waiting for the cavalry to arrive.
'I don't really remember anything after that. It was all a blur. In a flash it was done.'

99min 22sec

History takes the turn all England desires when Neil Back arrives at the ruck and feeds Johnson. For a split second, Back considers an alternative course of action. Thankfully, he dismisses it.
Back: 'Dawson dummied to pass and made the break, so I went into scrum half, which I'm familiar with. When I was put in that position I thought: "I might have a go at a drop goal myself." I've done it before and I seriously considered doing it this time. We're not bothered who scores the points if we win, but in the end I thought better of it.'

99min 25sec

It's over to Johnson again for his second crucial role in the drama.
Where he had looked into the eyes of his team to settle them following Flatley's penalty, he decides that a captain must act as well as speak.
The Leicester giant demands the ball and drives forward again.
England centre Will Greenwood: 'When the ball came back from Dawson, the time still wasn't right for the drop goal. Wilko would still have been under pressure. Then the skipper said: "I'll take this".'
Johnson: ' We wanted to go straight up the middle. Matt made the break and then Backie passed it out to me. I think Jonny was behind me but all I was thinking about was not dropping the ball and then going into contact.'

99min 30sec

A nation holds its breath. Will Jonny get the chance to drop a goal? Dawson, back in his familiar position, picks up the ball again. ITV commentator John Taylor: 'Wilkinson is in the pocket. He's ready and waiting.'
The ball spins back to Wilkinson. The Australian defence is too far away to bother him. The stadium clock shows 99.31 - 29 seconds left.
On BBC Radio Five Live, Ian Robertson: '... and it's coming back for Jonny Wilkinson ... he drops for World Cup glory...' Wilkinson: 'I missed three drop goals. Sod it. The fourth went over. We knew exactly what we had to do and, when the ball came back to me, it was possibly the easiest attempt I'd had all day.
'I'd been practising drop goals like that every day since I was five or six, with my right foot as well as my left foot. Dawse threw me the ball and thankfully with about a thousand million hours' practice under my belt I managed to hit one out of four. I'm not too bothered because it was the important one that went over.'
Australia captain George Gregan throws a despairing arm at the ball. In truth, he knows he is nowhere near it.
Gregan: 'You could see Jonny Wilkinson positioning himself for what he does best. He took the shot and the rest is history.'
Robertson '... it's up....' Thompson: 'You could hear it coming. A couple of times I thought we were going to go for it because you could hear the Aussies shouting "Drop goal, drop goal". Suddenly, just as I looked back, boom, it went over. I think it went dead centre to be honest.'
Robertson: 'It's over.' Thompson: 'I looked at the clock and there were about 15 seconds left. We just knew we had to win the ball from the kick-off.'
Robertson: 'Jonny Wilkinson is England's hero yet again and there's no time for Australia to come back.'
Wilkinson high-fives Moody and embraces Greenwood. 'We've won, we've won,' they cry together.
Woodward, on the touchline at Telstra Stadium, asks: 'How long is left?'
The answer is the one he wants. 'No time. Nothing.'
Australia take the kick-off and England collect the ball. Catt then boots it into touch and the final whistle blows.

100min

Robertson: 'England have just won the World Cup...'

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The 105 seconds that made history

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