On The Bandwagon

‘ENGLAND are “On Top Of The World”, says the Telegraph - with a barely concealed dig at those often ungallant but battling losers Down Under it.

”Just don’t pass it to Ben Kay!”

And yesterday England’s rugby union team were also on top of a bus, heading for dates with Tony Blair, Ken Livingstone and the Queen.

But we don’t want to hear too much from the greeting party, and instead do as the Telegraph does and listen to what the winners have to say.

“In our own little world in Australia we did not appreciate the effect it had on people,” says Martin Jonson.

“For all this, I really don’t think my life will change,” says a hopeful Jonny Wilkinson, now one of the most recognisable faces in Britain.

But it’s Matt Dawson who has the most to say, and he takes readers through the day in his own words.

He talks of a feeling on board the bus of “pure joy and happiness”. “It was like being a kid enjoying your first proper Christmas again,” he said.

That’s just great. But Matt stupidly forgets to mention what he thinks of Manchester United’s chances against Stuttgart in the Champions League.

Dawson has got to realise that although many more of us now know what rugby union is, football remains the benchmark against which all things are measured.

The Independent keeps its head while all the other papers are climbing on the England bandwagon, or chariot, and begins its sports report with news that Paul Scholes is back in the United team.

Hurrah! Keep the engine running, we feel another parade on the way…’

Posted: 9th, December 2003 | In: Back pages Comment | Follow the Comments on our RSS feed: RSS 2.0 | TrackBack | Permalink