The Guardian from London, Greater London, England • 91

RUGBY WORLD CUP FINAL The Guardian Friday November 21 2003 The Guardian Friday November 21 2003 France international Thomas Cast aignede assesses the players who will decide the outcome in Sydney tomorrow Your armchair guide to the two teams Australia England 15 Josh Lewsey Full-back 2 Steve Thompson 11 Ben Cohen Wing IILoteTuqiri Wing 15 Mat Rogers Full-back Hooker Age 25 Caps 23 Height 6ft Utolnht 1flct 7lh winner with Leicester, is the man with the keys to unlocking the Wallaby lineout and vital for England's own. but not a man you'll see sprinting with the ball in hand. 6 Richard Hill Lock Age 25 caps Height 6ft 3in Weight ISst II 10 Club Northampton ThisWorldCup 5 matches. 10pts Boom boom baba boom. Not Age 24 caps Height Bit an Weight 16st 4lb Club West Harbour This World Cup 6 matches.

20pts Unstoppable and unbreak Austin Healey's old mate has developed into a reliable thief of opposition lineout ball. Stole the crucial throw in the closing moments of the 2001 Lions tour and made a nuisance of himself against the All Blacks too. 6 George Smith JSSfc Club Northampton Age 26 Caps 1 7 Height 5ft I liri Weight 14st 11b Club Wasps ThisWorldCup 4 matches. 25pts Full speed ahead, full Age 27 Caps 18 Height Gil Oin Weight 1Ssl 6lb Club Southern Districts This World Cup 6 matches. 57pts The crazy one.

able. Probably the most consistently dangerous Wallaby threat in the tournament. He represented Fiji at rugby league and has ousted Joe Roff from the starting line-up. Age 30 Caps 62 Height 6ft 2in Weight 16st 61b Club Saracens This World Cup 2 matches, Opts Monsieur Plus. He returns and, Natural ball-player, elusive runner who has already won a World Cup winner's medal in rugby league.

Australia's nearest equivalent to Jason Robinson. T- ThisWorldCup v2-" 5 maicnes- The only Eng-land player to be below his usual best at this World Cup. Has not been throwing with the total precision his team need. Away from the set-piece he's the dragster of the team, able to whizz out of the blocks at the speed of sound. 3PhilVickery Tight-head prop game's battlers rather than a thoroughbred athlete and is known as a good raconteur.

2 Brendan Cannon Hooker jBk Age 30 Caps 23 JHfil Height 6ft 2m Weight 17st 11b jHRBK Club Sydney University ThisWorldCup 5 matches. Opts 'yy Tousle-haired prehistoric looks mean he deserves the title Cro-Magnon man. Survived a life-threatening car smash early in his career and has now established himself as Australia's leading hooker after serving as understudy to Jeremy Paul for three years. 3AI Baxter Tight-head prop Flanker Age 23 Caps 34 Height 5ft 11 in Weight 15st 7lb Club Manly ThisWorldCup 6 matches. 10pts The saboteur.

a line-breaker in the Robinson mould, but pure speed and strength. Has a tendency to lurk out on his wing sometimes you wonder if he's nipped off to buy a beer or three waiting for Wilkinson's diagonal kicks. 10 Jonny Wilkinson Fly-half speed ahead. The versatile Wasps player notched up five tries in the thrashing of Uruguay and had a particularly good game in the victory over Australia in Melbourne in June. 14 Jason Robinson Wing 10 Stephen Larkham Fly-half 14 Wendell Sailor Wing Age 29 Caps 18 lo and behold, all is well in perfidious Albion.

He brings confidence and serenity but is a man who works in the dark. You never see him within a minute of starting the France game he'd put in two tackles, but did we ever notice? Versatile enough to have started the first three matches of this year's Six Nations at numbers 8, 7 and 6. Age 29 Caps 27 Height 5ft 8in Weight 13st 11b Club Sale This Worid Cup 6 matches, 15pts Age 29 caps u4 Height 6ft 2iri Weight 13sl8lb Club Wests Canberra This World Cup 5 matches. 10pts Has been through a few Age 24 caps 51 Height Sit 10in Weight 14s! 11b Club Newcastle ThisWorldCup 5 matches. 98pts I'm with Bernard Height 6ft 3in Weight 16st 12ID Club Gold Coast This World Cup 5 matches 5pts The truck.

Also a member of Aus Prolific ball-winning ability on the deck. Accused of a "cheap shot" on All Blacks' scrum-half Justin Marshall in the semi-final but was man of the match in the 2001 Lions series decider in Sydney. 7PhilWaugh Flanker Age caps Height 6ft 3m Weight 19st 10ID Club Gloucester ThisWorldCup 6 matches. 5pts A force of nature. The only storms but played one of his tralia rugby league World 7 Neil Back Flanker Age 34 Caps 65 Height 51t 10m Weight 14st 71b Thegame-P breaker.

Has had a quiet World Cup because defences know all about him but his break against Wales to set up Will Greenwood's try could turn out to have been the key moment in England's campaign. 13MikeTindall Centre Ago 20 uaps Height 6ft 3m Weight 1Bst 41b Club Northern Suburbs ThisWorldCup 5 matches. Opts Owes his place uup-winning side before switching codes last year. Has the power to blast through defenders but not always so awesome going backwards. 13 Stirling Mortlock Centre Age 24 caps 20 Height 5ft 11in Woight15st9lb Club Sydney University This Worid Cup 5 matches.

Opts The man who Laporte: if the English press don't want him we'll have him. I don't belive this talk about the yips and the jitters. If he's worried and under pressure I wouldn't mind being worried like him and having that kind of pressure. Coolness personified on Sunday night. 9 Matt Dawson Scrum-half best games in years in the semi-final.

A sinuous runner who asks questions of opponents the contrast of styles with Jonny Wilkinson could hardly be more pronounced. Went from second-grade rugby in Canberra to the Test team in the space of a year. 9 George Gregan Scrum-half, captain man I've ever seen put his lights out was Jerry Collins of New Zealand, which is saying something. Has tremendous experience having made his Test debut in 1 998 but injuries have limited his appearances since. Boasts the body of a bull and the mind of a tiger.

4 Martin Johnson Lock, captain Club Leicester ThisWorldCup 5 matches. 10pts Mr Muscle. The man who cleans up the messy bits of ball. You puts his head where others wouldn't put their feet he certainly has no qualms about putting his body on the block. to the sobering injury to Ben Darwin, who suffered a prolapsed disc when a scrum went down in the semi-final.

A qualified architect who only made his Test debut this summer. England will be doing plenty of homework on him. Age 26 Caps 24 Height 6ft 3in Weight 15st 111b Club Gordon This World Cup 4 matches. 20pts The Wallbreaker, an ace at getting Age 25 Caps 32 Height 6ft 1in Weight 15st 111b Club Bath This Worid Cup 5 matches. 5pts InforMikeCatt to give extra Age 3U caps 94 Height 5ft Bin Weight 12st 71b Age 31 Caps 56 Helght5ft10m Weight 13st 10in Club Northampton This Worid Cup 4 matches, 5pts The whirling dervish behind 28? ifltBf-L, ciuo HanawicK ThisWorldCup through the tackle and earning could almost say he sleeps with the ball he holds on to it so tightly.

I'd hate to be his kid daddy would never let you get a sniff of the ball. Became the first England forward in 11 7 years to score four tries in a game against Holland in 1998. 8 Lawrence Dallaglio No8 Consistent form has persuaded coach Eddie Jones to include both Waugh and Smith, two specialist open-side flankers. Arguably Australia's player of 2003. 8 David Lyons No8 Age 23 Caps 20 oomph in the England midfield.

Age 33 Caps 83 Height 6ft 7in Weight 18st9lb Club Leicester This Worid Cup 6 matches. Opts Capable of the best and the BAIT 4 Nathan Sharpe Lock Age25Caps19 5 matches, opts Could go from sacrificial lamb Jtw Height 6ft 7in jC. Wnloht 1ftet after the trouble he was given worst in the game. The occa extra yards. Man of the match in the semi-final against the All Blacks.

Recovered from shoulder surgery just in time for the World Cup squad. 12 Elton Flatley Centre which is a good idea given the way Mortlock carved up the All Blacks. Speed and power to bum but perhaps a man of whom too much has been expected in recent weeks. 12 Will Greenwood Centre Club University ThisWorldCup 6 matches. Opts In charge of the Wallaby lineout.

VijJ the scrfjm, clinging on to what is probably the most contested place in the English squad, with Kyran Bracken and Andy Gomarsall breathing down his neck. 1 Trevor Woodman Loose-head prop Height 6ft 4in Weight 18st4lb Club Sydney University ThisWorldCup 6 matches, lOpts Steer straight Age 31 Caps 64 Height 6ft 4m Weight 17st 3lb Club Wasps ThisWorldCup 6 matches, 5pls Proud to be English. A man by the Australian press to true national icon. Needs to remember that sometimes before you can be loved you have to be hated. He and Larkham are the only starting survivors from the 1 999 World Cup-winning side.

1 Bill Young Loosehead prop Age 26 Caps 32 Height 5ft 10m Ulnht Idct 1lh sional act of evil intent but otherwise generally irreproachable in his play. England's most capped lock has 1 0 years of international experience and is respected by all his team-mates but not loved by the opposition. Envied, perhaps, but no red roses. 5 Ben Kay Lock 'jgWY Club Brothers i This World Cup Impressive athlete who hails from Wagga Wagga in New South Wales, the source of many cricketers including Mark Taylor and Michael Slater. Took some heavy blows in the semi-final but, if fully fit, will be a handful.

5 Justin Harrison Lock Age 2 caps 14 Height 6ft Oin Weight 17st 121b Club Gloucester ThisWorldCup Age 31 Caps 46 Height 6ft 4in Weight 15st2lb Club Harlequins This Worid Cup 5 matches, 25pts The tranquil driving force of 2 aheadT put your helmet over your eyes and go for it is his motto. Attempting to fill the big shoes of Toutai Kefu and certainly has the destructive power. Captained the 1 998 Australian schoolboys side on their unbeaten tour of Britain. 5 matches. 88pls A small man among giants, The vm inn nrnn H5I.

Agezti caps24 Height 611 2in Weight 17stSlb Ciub Eastwood This Worid Cup 5 matches. Opts r- is learning from England's midfield. In the style of passion and the great communicator, a man who could sell sand to the Arabs or ice-cream to the Eskimo. Let's hope he doesn't talk too much to Andre Watson, who likes to be left to think for himself on the pitch. Replacements (probable): Dorian West, Jason Leonard, Martin Corry, Lewis Moody, Kyran Bracken, Mike Cart, lain Balshaw.

IK'S Age 27 caps 27 Height 6ft 6in Weight 17st 101b Club Leicester ThisWorldCup 5matcttes. Opts Push, jump, tackle. Brilliant at livens up the back-line. Shows there is space for guys who aren't great big lumps, and I know what I'm talking about. Dropped for the England game in June after oversleeping and missing a fitness session, but as the goalkicker will have to be wide awake.

'ffii? Made his debut Age 29 caps 21 Height 6ft Bin Weight 17st 5lb Club Eastwood This World Cup 4 matches. Opts Forget the "plank" jibes, against ranee those around him and probably set to be a mainstay until the next World Cup. A Cornishman with a miner's biceps who has learned the darker arts of the tight five at Gloucester where better? of Richard Hill, does a lot of relatively unseen work, although his try-scoring record should make him a marked man for the Wallabies. Deserves praise for the strength he has shown over his wife's difficult pregnancy. Replacements (probable): Jeremy Paul, Matt Dunning, David Giffin, Matt Cockbain, Chris Whitaker, Matt Giteau, Joe Roff.

three years ago and has done valiant job in shoring up the Wallaby scrum. One of the the basics, the part-time gardener, twice a European Cup VITAL STATISTICS Venue Telstra Stadium, Sydney Kick-off 8pm (local), 9am (GMT) TV ITV1 from 8.30am Radio BBC Radio 5 Live from 8am Referee Andre Watson (South Africa) Odds England 4-6, Australia 11 -10.