LONDON, 26 November 2003 — Thousands of cheering fans turned out to welcome back England’s World Cup-winning rugby team when they flew into London yesterday with plans under way to honor the team with a victory parade through the streets of central London.
Captain Martin Johnson said he felt humbled by the reception from the fans who turned up at Heathrow Airport to greet flight BA16 which touched down at 4.35 a.m.
“This is a great thing for rugby. The reception we got was very humbling and is something we will never forget,” he said.
England coach Clive Woodward issued “a big thank you” to all the supporters
Their plane had been re-named Sweet Chariot in honor of England’s unofficial anthem, with a special seat being reserved for the Webb Ellis Trophy itself.
“I’m certainly proud to be English and very glad to be home,” Woodward added.
“I’d just like to say a big thank you to all those people who got up so early, I’ve never seen anything like it, it was just fantastic.”
Scrum-half Matt Dawson, whose pass set up Jonny Wilkinson’s match-winning drop goal added: “Nobody could really explain what it felt like to be a world champions but coming back this morning and seeing that at the airport, it was absolutely mind-blowing.
“There were thousands of people there lining the streets, cars parked in the middle of the road, in the middle of the roundabout down on the bypass, on the motorway, it was just surreal. It was fantastic, absolutely awesome.”
