English fitness key advantage, says Dallaglio

LAWRENCE DALLAGLIO tonight identified England’s fitness as a key ingredient of their momentous World Cup campaign.

The new world champions left Australia after 54 unforgettable days Down Under.

Their World Cup campaign saw them play seven, win seven, and they departed Sydney with rugby's ultimate prize on board the golden Webb Ellis Trophy.

"I felt that in all the games we played, we finished the stronger team," said the Wasps star and England number eight, Dallaglio, who started every World Cup match.

"A lot was made of our age and our fitness, but I genuinely believe we were the fittest team in the tournament.

"Experience counts for an awful lot, but in something like the 19th minute of extra-time, it's having the fitness to be able to make the right decisions."

Dallaglio also believes that England must take forward the huge momentum generated from World Cup 2003 as they contemplate next year's challenges.

"We've always tried to look at things in the short term, and I believe this England team has fronted up every time it has played," he added.

"We haven't been able to pick and choose our games like other international sides. Every time England take the field, we've had to front-up, and I believe we did that.

"We set ourselves some targets throughout the last 12 months, starting with the autumn internationals, then the Six Nations Grand Slam, followed by the summer tour to New Zealand and Australia, and then the World Cup.

"Bit by bit, we have tried to achieve those targets, and the momentum we gathered throughout the year took us into the World Cup.

"You cannot underestimate the significance of going down to New Zealand and Australia, and winning in the summer.

"A lot of people said it was a bit of a gamble taking such a strong squad to the southern hemisphere so close to the World Cup, and winning in Wellington and Melbourne were key moments.

"To win in Melbourne before the World Cup really gave the squad the belief that we could go back and win. Ultimately, we had to do that, because it was Australia who we met in the final."

While speculation is mounting that a couple of England players could now call it a day on the international stage, 31-year-old Dallaglio hardly enters that category.

"I think it's important that we enjoy what we have achieved; it would be wrong to not enjoy that," he said.

"As Clive [Woodward] has said, and Martin [Johnson] has echoed, no players will be making any hasty decisions about their futures, and it would be nice to try and go into the Six Nations with the strongest possible squad.

"We do have a policy in England, where we select the best players, whether they are 21 or 31. That's a great policy, and any other country that doesn't adopt that is wrong.

"We have to recognise that we are part of a very successful set-up and a very successful system with a lot of talented players, and it would be a shame not to continue that and use the momentum we've generated.

"We are going to be there to be shot at. Every time we take the field, we will now take the field as world champions.

"Every side that has ever played England has always raised its game, and this achievement will only serve to enhance that."