Brendan Gallagher delves into some of rugby's most enduring images, their story and why they are still so impactful
What's happening here?
It's November 22, 2003 – but you probably knew that – and Sale wing Jason Robinson has just steamed in for a first-half try for England after great approach work from Lawrence Dallaglio and Jonny Wilkinson in their World Cup final against Australia at the Olympic Stadium, Sydney. At the ground half of the 83,000 crowd are going wild; back home in England nearly 20 million TV supporters are roaring their approval.
The story behind the picture?
The game had started badly for Robinson and England with a try resulting from an Aussie tactic that had been widely predicted in the media that very morning. Giant Fiji wing Lote Tuqiri – Robinson's opposite number – towered ten or 11 inches over the England wing so launching a few well-directed crossfield kicks in that direction was an obvious ploy.
Australia duly obliged with Tuqiri soaring high over Robinson to collect Steve Larkham's bomb and score after just six minutes. It was an ominous start, Australia were a talented, attack minded, dominating team. If they got away to a quick start life could become very difficult for Clive Woodward's team. England had started as favourites but suddenly it was all getting very tense. Curiously Australia didn't use the cross-field kick to Tuqiri again in the match.
What happened next?
England went to work as their pack began to get on top and put Australia under pressure. The ever-reliable Wilkinson chipped in with three penalties, but a 9-5 lead two minutes from half-time was hardly commanding. Now would be a very good time to strike. The so-called Championship minutes.
And that's exactly what happened. Ruck in midfield 40 yards out, Matt Dawson sent the ball to Dallaglio travelling left at pace. The England No.8 was running a nice arc and the obvious pass was to Robinson on the outside but fullback Mat Rogers and wing Wendell Sailor – former League players like Robinson – were working hard to cover that outlet so instead, showing all his old Sevens handling skills, he swivelled and passed adroitly to Wilkinson on his inside.
That switch slightly wrong-footed the two Aussie defenders and Wilkinson immediately reacted by sending it back out to the left wing again with a long pass to Robinson. Suddenly there was just enough room to squeeze home and Robinson needed no second invitation. Ben Cohen, in the background with his hands aloft, will probably go to his grave thinking the more obvious pass from Jonny was inside to him which would have put the Saints man in under the posts. We will never know but there was a lovely flow about this try. It wasn't just vitally important, it was a cracker.
England led 14-5 and minutes later it should have been 19-5 with Dawson, who could probably have fallen over the line to score himself, passing to the unmarked Ben Kay to make sure, only for the Leicester lock to spill the ball on the line.
“In England nearly 20 million TV supporters are roaring approval”
Why is the picture iconic?
It's the explosive outpouring and venting of emotion from Robinson that makes this image special as well as its intrinsic journalistic news value – a picture of record of the only northern hemisphere player thus far to score a try in a World Cup final.
Robinson had the toughest of early lives, a black teenager from a broken family born in the poorest part of Leeds. Rugby League provided the initial outlet for an extraordinarily talented athlete but also the early wealth which led to a drinking problem and depression which his continued success as a player somehow kept at bay.
Then, persuaded by Clive Woodward who painted an inspiring picture of how England could win RWC2003, came the switch from League and a meteoric rise to prominence in Union.
But there were still doubters. Robinson was exceptional but other League transplants all around the world weren't making the same impact. Would he be a here-today, gone-tomorrow talent?
Robinson was flying a lot of flags at RWC2003. A key man in an England team labelled as Dads' Army and past it; a black athlete from an impoverished background starring in a global sporting final; a Rugby League man taking centre stage at a gala Union event. And it had been a long journey. He was still less than three years into his Union career and although blessed with natural talent to spare, he had worked assiduously on alien kicking skills, different tackling techniques and body positions and intricate laws at the breakdown.
And then, of course, there had been that dispiriting start to the final when the one Achilles heel in his game had been ruthlessly exposed.The gauntlet had been thrown down and this was Robinson's riposte. Oh yes, one way or another Billy Whizz had plenty to shout about.
Footnote: You know the rest. 14 apiece at full time, 17-17 with a minute to go in extra time – penalty shoot out looming – when England worked their muchrehearsed zigzag move and Wilkinson popped over the winner. Both Jason and Jonny were to appear in another World Cup final four years later but no fairytale ending on that occasion.
