"We will no longer characterise your fans as beer-swilling, pot-bellied louts or knife-wielding hooligans and try to remember the sporting and enthusiastic supporters who did so much to make the final memorable."īut just in case they were worried that we thought they were turning soft, there was still a typically Aussie sting in the tail.
"You are better singers than we are (and just quietly, Swing Low, Sweet Chariot is growing on us, as is Jonny without an 'h')," it said. "You played with class, toughness and grace. You kicked no more penalty goals than we did. It said that after "magnificent" England's 20-17 win over Australia on Saturday "we would like to admit the following: You were not too old (although we hoped you would be when the game went to extra time). But if the prime minister proved only that he was a poor loser, the Australian media showed that beneath all the pre-match hype there was genuine respect for the England team and affection for the 50,000 travelling English fans. Under the banner headline "Hear ye, hear ye", the paper admitted that the criticism had not been based too closely on facts. The Sydney Morning Herald, which had enthusiastically bashed England at every opportunity throughout the tournament, decided it was time to come clean. "They were well-coached, well-led - that applies across the leadership spectrum, not just to the peerless Martin Johnson - and they played to their strengths better than any other team in the tournament." The Australian said: "England might not have been the most lovable of teams but they are the most deserving of champions. His surly, ungracious presentation of medals and the Webb Ellis Cup on Saturday night was worthy of any discontented five-year-old at a birthday party."īut if the prime minister proved only that he was a poor loser, the Australian media showed that beneath all the pre-match hype there was genuine respect for the England team and affection for the 50,000 travelling English fans. "His shameful behaviour lacked the dignity that his office is supposed to represent - and was, frankly, embarrassing for the rest of the Australian community," wrote one correspondent.Īnother fumed: "Our Prime Minister is, again, a disgrace. The letters page of the Melbourne Age was inundated with angry missives. Successful cabin leaders enjoy children and are enthusiastic responsible and organized. His sour expression as he presented the Webb Ellis trophy to England captain Martin Johnson infuriated Australians. For one week, children will become the highest priority in your life. The only jarring note in an occasion notable for otherwise impeccable Australian manners was the churlish display by Prime Minister John Howard. England have left the country, taking "Old Bill", as the Australians call the Webb Ellis trophy, back to the Mother Country after beating the Wallabies to win the Rugby World Cup.
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