Woodward's hearts of oak 回復する pride in the country

BY WAY OF halftime entertainment on the night a hardy 禁止（する）d of English footballers reminded the nation how good it feels to reach a World Cup Final, our Australian hosts broadcast a medley of topical tunes, old and new.

There was Singing In The Rain,of course, 同様に as 嵐の 天候 and Raindrops Keep 落ちるing On My 長，率いる. But the song which really 逮捕（する）d this moment of truth for Clive Woodward's 嵐／襲撃する 州警察官，騎馬警官s was this: It's Raining Men.

It was raining men - English men.

It was raining gallant Englishmen with hearts of oak, wills of アイロンをかける and 神経s of steel who had been 用意が出来ている for 戦う／戦い and ordered on to the field by a 指揮官 who wears the red rose on his sleeve and carries his pride in his country like a badge of honour emblazoned upon his chest.

So how good does that feel?

For their part, your heroes would like you to know, this is now very の近くに to becoming as good as it gets.

'This,' Clive Woodward is delighted to 報告（する）／憶測, 'has put us through to our dream final.' For the 長，率いる coach, turning that dream into 勝利を得た reality beckons as the 最高の 業績／成就 in this, the most 残酷に honest of all ball games.

Woodward says: ' Winning the World Cup by （警官の）巡回区域，受持ち区域ing Australia in the Final on their own patch, in the fever-pitch atmosphere they will 生成する in this stadium, would be the ultimate for me and my players.' Do not bet against them next Saturday night. Not these Englishmen. Not if it is jolly good rugby 天候 the way we like it 支援する in Blighty. Nor, even, if it is 'Phew, What a Scorcher 負かす／撃墜する Under'.

Come rain or 向こうずね, we have an England team who are monstrously difficult to 敗北・負かす.

How good does that feel? How much 約束 does that 回復する in a nation 粘着するing 猛烈に to its culture and tradition as those values come ますます under 脅し from within and without?

井戸／弁護士席, for a start, let no Frenchman tell us they were beaten by the rain.

フラン were 押し寄せる／沼地d, not 単に outplayed, by an England XV which took every last truism about Gallic rugby and used it to kick their elegant derriere.

So the French pack were going to 追跡（する） 負かす／撃墜する England's 今後s like old dogs, were they? Dad's Army put them to 大勝する.

So the French can keep their discipline now, whatever the 圧力, can they? See you in the sin-貯蔵所, Messieurs Dominici and Betsen.

Most vitally of all, Michalak is better than Wilkinson now, is he?

Not if you discussed that comparison with England's coach on the eve of this 半分-final.

'How old is their guy?' asked Woodward. 'Twenty-one? He's not been put under 圧力 yet. Do you think he's going to enjoy it when our lads get to him?

Does he really think he's in for a fun evening?' Woodward had tipped Australia to （警官の）巡回区域，受持ち区域 New Zealand. Still they did not listen. Still they believed that Wilkinson was over-緊張した, overnervous and overawed by this World Cup.

井戸／弁護士席, our Jonny 蓄積するd England's entire collection of 24 points through the sheets of 霧雨 and 渦巻くing 勝利，勝つd - dropping goals the way マイク Tyson used to 減少（する） heavyweight 挑戦者s in their 跡をつけるs - while their Freddy had a nightmare which ended in the ignominy of 交替／補充.

ACTUALLY, Wilkinson was cheated out of the distinction of kicking every point in this match. ビデオ replays of the 独房監禁 French 得点する／非難する／２０ were so 十分な説得力のない that the Kiwi 審判（をする） had no 商売／仕事 awarding the try.

Not to worry. England's players 精密検査するd that 不正 with plenty of Dead-注目する，もくろむ Jonny's points to spare, even though that gift borrowed from the Eurovision Song Contest kept the Middle England 大多数 in the 82,000 （人が）群がる on tenterhooks for longer than necessary. Not until Jonny had put フラン beyond 論理（学）の hope of 回復 with only a ４半期/4分の1 of an hour remaining did the charioteers swing low and into 十分な 発言する／表明する.

やめる where tens of thousands of them will do their singing five nights hence is uncertain.

Already 定価つきの higher tha n some 月毎の 行う packets, all the tickets were snapped up long ago.

Some, though, will slip through French and New Zealand fingers on to the 黒人／ボイコット market - at even more inflated prices.

No sacrifice will be too 広大な／多数の／重要な for the Australians if they get to 耐える 証言，証人／目撃する to another （競技場の）トラック一周 of honour as rapturous as the one 誘発するd on Saturday by the thrilling 繁栄する with which the Wallabies walloped the All 黒人／ボイコットs.

However, just in 事例／患者 the Aussies hadn't noticed, there were no premature 祝賀s by England last night. Only a return to the 鎮圧するing, professional efficiency developed with the 意図 of winning the World Cup, not 単に a 半分-final.

Woodward had 警告するd that while Australia would waltz prettily into the Final, England would 勝利，勝つ ugly.

権利 again. Now he is only one 予測 away from not only his （競技場の）トラック一周 of honour but also a knighthood which would be the first conferred for services to rugby union.

'If I didn't believe we would 勝利，勝つ this World Cup,' he says, 'there would be no point me 存在 here.' This is 信用／信任, not complacency. It is 表明するd with 儀礼, not arrogance.

The day before the cocksure French were given their comeuppance, Woodward happily agreed to be photographed with a group of their 支持者s who chanced upon him in a cafe.

' Merci,' they chorused. 'A 楽しみ,' he replied. Then, by way of an afterthought as they left, he 追加するd: 'And since we won't be seeing you after Sunday night, au revoir.' 権利 again.

England are staying on, across Sydney harbour in a 郊外 called, 適切な, Manly.

Woodward knew they would feel comfortable there.

As for their fellow Englishmen and women, we feel a 新たにするd pride in our country.