2003, A RWC Final like no other.
As Australia and England took centre stage, at Sydney's Olympic stadium to contest the 2003 Rugby World Cup final, there was a tangible difference between the two outfits. The like of which, we would never see again at a World Cup. A difference that perhaps symbolises the final stages of the transition of elite rugby from an amateur to a professional game. If the use of the word 'outfits' hasn't already given it away, I am of course referencing the disparity between the playing jerseys of the two adversaries. In the green and gold corner, you had a Wallaby outfit in a traditional Canterbury of New Zealand cotton rugby shirt, complete with white collar. At the other end of the spectrum, were Clive Woodward's men in their light, tight fitting, sweat removing, Nike jerseys. This new high spec number, unveiled just before the tournament, blew away one of the game's age old traditions. Rugby shirts until that point were as a rule, cotton, loose fitting with