Rugby 2003. Semifinal. France v England

16 November 2003
Telstra Stadium, Sydney
Attendance: 82,346
Referee: Paddy O'Brien (New Zealand)

[@JP1234815]

Fantastic stat I only realised recently. Between 1999 Rugby world cup to the end of the 2003 Rugby world cup England never lost a game when they started with Wilkinson, Hill, Back, Dallaglio and Martin Johnson at 4. It shows just how important those 5 were to the England team.

[@user-sc7zb3xi2l]

20 years later and still loving it. :)

[@AlexBrown-xp7mt]

Hill, Back and Dallaglio vs Betsen, Magne and Harinordoquy. Unreal. So many incredible flankers were around then.

[@barnabylowe1239]

I’m at nearly 70 mins and just one England sub made. Just shows how much the games changed in under 20 years. More Subs slower scrums and line out set ups and I’m pretty sure these older style players could kick for touch much further. Miss the old game

[@iang4662]

Swing Low in the Aus/NZ semi was because you had to buy a package of tickets for the finals so there were a lot of English there. Of course we got a lot of boos for singing it, which funnily enough made us sing louder. Who’d have thought it. Watching the game back, they turned the mike’s down in the section we were mostly in, so you could hear it as clearly on tv.

[@keithtillett774]

It just shows what a great player wilkinson was

[@TheCourage89]

Classic wet weather rugby by England.

[@richardhall206]

What a game. Now we have 3-minute scrums, caterpillar rucks, morriss-dance lineouts, endless reviews, plays for penalties, whooping, and players that can benchpress 300kg but can't kick a ball 50 metres. What the hell happened to our sport?

[@butzee]

Was at the game! Twickenham in November conditions at the Sydney Stadium!!

[@soddof7972]

I've watched it for 12 years and still can't see how the Betsen try was given - too much doubt

[@the_one_eyed_man_is_cursed]

Best of all the unsportsman-like sniping of the Aussie commentators. They gag & spit like Sheila's but in the end they swallowed everything the "ageing English forwards" pumped down their throats. I'll wager not one of 'em ever watched this tournament again.

[@expressoevangelism80]

Mike Catt was a major key to our victory in that game. Nonetheless such wonderful times back then.

[@benwoods1799]

52.16 Betsen dirty play, deliberate raking of Dawson’s head with the boot. Hope the English Forwards sorted him out after!!

[@josephlennon8475]

Bent referee and officials. But England still won. Yeah, man. Groovy.

[@jameswilson1984]

I'm English but by god the French national anthem was sung absolutely incredibly before this game.

[@adrenalinerushed6435]

U dont see passion like this in football, none of the players even know the lyrics. Its shameful.........

[@flokunlin875]

When the rain began to fall, some french players lost their smile.

[@thinkbig3384]

I was honoured to play for the Combined Services so, I have met many of our rugbt heroes x

[@jeremymerrifield7244]

Mmm. The French had the best back row in the world said Howarth .... Until The met The Holy Trinity

[@adamclark1972uk]

I don't understand why we don't see people using drop-goals more often in rugby these days. Look at how many points Wilkinson kicks from drop-goals in this match. Edit: nine points from drop-kicks in this match for JW.