The 22nd of November 2003 will live long in the memory of English rugby fans and for that matter, any English person. England's rugby team won the Rugby World Cup against Australia in the final minute of extra-time 20-17, with a dramatic 'wrong' footed drop goal by their talisman and now national superstar, Jonny Wilkinson. England's coach, Clive Woodward, had masterminded his country's first ever Rugby World Cup but his plans to win the trophy did not start at the beginning of the 2002-2003 season, they started the day that England were defeated in the quarter final of the 1999 tournament at the hands of south Africa and another man who could drop a goal, Jannie De Beer.

Reasons for their historic victory are many, including superior fitness, skill and Mr Reliable Wilkinson, but more so than that, their mental preparation and sports psychology, has given the team the 'psychological edge' which saw them come from behind in two matches en route to the trophy and ultimately made them stronger come the final. Woodward has publicly stated 'judge me on the world cup' to his employers and since the final they have promptly offered him a new contract till the next tournament. He has always stated Team England's goal has been to win the world cup, by any means possible. "But it is about winning this game, and I don't care how we win as long as we win and we walk off that pitch to collect the cup - that is what it is all about." The Times, Woodward's pre match press conference, 21st November 2003. Goal setting is a crucial aspect of a winning mentality and gives a clear indication of what is required by everyone involved in the squad. Clarity of your individual role as part of a team working towards a common goal has been proven to increase personal as well as team performance by Dr Mark Beauchamp, sports psychologist at Leeds University. Dr Beauchamp states "Role clarity is crucial. Players who are unsure of their role feel less confident, and perform worse. It's a pattern we've seen at all levels in all the team sports we've looked at."

Dr Beauchamp goes on to say that "There's certainly anecdotal evidence that role clarity has been important in the development of England's rugby, you just have to listen to what the coaches are saying."

Winning the World Cup has always been the outcome goal of the squad; there have been many process, and intermediate goals along the way. These goals included winning a Grand Slam in the 6Nations Tournament, which they did in 2003, becoming number 1 in the world before the tournament - achieved, beating both Australia and New Zealand in their own patch, achieved in the summer tours of 2003 and finally, winning every match in which they compete. The last goal however was not achieved as they lost a friendly to France in August, albeit with their '2nd XV' but rectified that result with a record win a week later with the '1st XV against the same country. Everyone within the squad is well aware of the goals of the team and is part of the goal setting process. "When individual members help to establish goals for the team, cohesion is enhanced, goal acceptance is increased and team members are more committed to the achievement of the goals. Hale, B. & Collins, D. Rugby Tough. (2002) p.144 Woodward wanted to achieve the above goals before the kick off of the World Cup for one simple reason, to have the 'psychological edge' over every team in the tournament. Being 6 Nations champions and winning the Grand Slam gave them the edge over the Northern Hemisphere teams. Becoming number 1 in the world rankings gave England their own confidence as being 'the best team in the world'. Defeating both of their closest rivals for the trophy on their own turf gave a double boost to England with them believing they can beat anyone, anywhere and to Australia and New Zealand - doubt in their own minds about being able to beat England with home advantage. " England approached this World Cup by winning and giving themselves what they perceived as a psychological edge. France said "to hell with psychology, let us guarantee fresh legs and minds." The Scotsman, 15th November 2003. England went on to win the semi-final against France 24-7. .

" This morning's shootout between England, the No1 ranked team on the planet, and Australia, the Rugby World Cup holders, promises to raise the stress level to the stratospheric when it kicks off at 9am British time." Wilkinson holds key in the final reckoning. The Scotsman, 22nd November 2003. Woodward added "I have no doubt the adrenaline will be pumping like it never has pumped before, but we just have to keep our feet firmly on the ground and take away the hype and treat it just like another game of rugby" The Times, Woodward's pre match press conference, 21st November 2003. The final against Australia had a nail biting finish to the regulation 80minutes with Elton Flately, the Australian goal kicker, successfully striking a penalty to send the tension spiralling into extra-time. The pressure the players were under was huge and anxiety build up was inevitable Wilkinson had put England into a three point lead when Australia were awarded a penalty within kickable range. Instead of arguing with the referee, something England's captain - Martin Johnson, and scrumhalf - Matt Dawson, are notoriously bad for, they retreated back and Johnson then called ' the drop-goal routine' which they had practiced repeatedly for a moment like this. The concentration and focus of the England players was astonishing. Neil Back notes "It has to be all or nothing. The concentration must be high" Sunday Herald, 16th November 2003. Everyone knew their jobs/role within the routine and with only two minutes left of extra time, all their efforts had to be focussed on their last play of the game.

"Match routines are quick reminders and mental cues that players can use during breaks in action to refocus, re-intensify and reverse negative thoughts and actions. Focus cue words help players rehearse their roles and bring their minds back to the upcoming task. Mental imagery can be used for rehearsing upcoming roles in lineouts, pack or back moves and kicking schemes. Refocusing routines help tack cues - such as the ball, an opponent, or teammate - that help players return to the task at hand after a disastrous mistake, periods of poor play, a bad start in a match or for changes in offensive or defensive strategy. Finally, effective match routines contain communication cues and phrases that are frequently used by team leaders among teammates to ensure team coherence and success. These cues or routines should be written down and rehearsed both individually and in team practices. Hale, B& Collins, D. Rugby Tough. (2002) p. 227.

"The memories could be of those Grand Slam deciders in which they choked under pressure." Wilkinson holds key in the final reckoning. The Scotsman, 22nd November 2003. England choked on three Grand Slam final matches but learned to perform and win the 2003 tournament, they were not going to choke on this occasion. The routine of course, was successful.

The hero of the final, was England's fly half, Jonny Wilkinson. He had the final role in the drop goal routine, which was to make a successful attempt on goal. He did so, with his right and 'wrong' foot. Wilkinson is left footed but such is his dedication, professionalism and perfectionism to kicking, he was able to drop a right-footed goal with the ease of a natural right-footed person. "And if Wilkinson is on form, Australia will find it difficult to recover from the punishment he extracts" Wilkinson holds key in the final reckoning. The Scotsman, 22nd November 2003.

"Ultimately, it could all come down to skipper Johnson and his mighty pack doing the damage, and fly-half Jonny Wilkinson providing another goal-kicking master class". The Times, Woodward wants to win at all costs, 22nd November 2003.

Wilkinson has publicly shared his personal methods of achieving excellence in his goal kicking. He practices his kicking everyday, if he is kicking badly, he will continue to practice until he kicks well, no matter how long it takes. Jonny never leaves a kicking session until he successfully kicked 6 in a row and has repeatedly stood up friends, family, agents and business people due to staying on the field to perfect his kicking, off either foot. "I was mad keen to familiarise myself with the ball we would be using in Australia, which has a different weight and texture from the one we use in the U.K. It's similar to the one the Italians use. I was determined that by the time I was kicking the thing in matches, any mental hang-ups would be left in England." Wilkinson, J. Lions and Falcons. (2001) p.149 He has a set routine in his kicks at goal which has become famous during the world cup, even Tony Blair and George Bush were photographed trying the 'Jonny'. Wilkinson uses his routine to visualize a successful attempt at goal. "At the back of my run up, it is important I think positively about the kick and visualise where I want the ball to go." Jonny Wilkinson, www.bbc.co.uk/sport

"One popular theory is that the pre-kick routines of the best kickers are what separates them from the rest. Wilkinson's ability to visualise the imaginary "Doris" in the stands behind the goal before kicking has been highlighted as one of the keys to his success" www.theage.com

All members of the England squad have extreme self-confidence in their ability both as individuals and as a team. They have gained in this confidence through perfect preparation for performance, becoming number 1 in the world, losing only one of 23 matches and knowing that they have beaten ever major rival both at home and away in the last year. They have been called arrogant on many occasions but arrogance is the wrong way to describe them, self-confident is more appropriate. "England will require a big improvement against France in Sydney on Sunday if they are to keep alive their World Cup dream, but England manager Clive Woodward remains confident that his side can still go all the way. "I believe that we will beat France," said Woodward. "Clearly, we were not at our best today and we made some very fundamental errors, but I am also very confident that we can sit down, have a clear-the-air meeting next week, and beat France. If we play like we did today, then we've got no chance, but I don't think for one moment this team will play like it did today," he added." The Scotsman, 10th November 2003. When the coach is confident, it filters down to the players and installs faith and a belief from which self-efficacy is built.

It is important to act confidently, but it is just as important not to act unconfident.

"Acting and thinking confidently can raise confidence even if you don't feel particularly confident. The more confident you act the more likely you are to feel and perform confidently. In addition, if you portray an image of confidence to others (head up, chest out, erect body position), then your opponents may begin to feel uneasy and perhaps even lose some of their own confidence. They will feel as if they are playing against someone who seems totally calm and in control. By the same token, when you show that you have lost confidence - either by negative self-talk or body language, (chin down, slouched over, lacking energy) you will actually boost your opponent's confidence because they will believe that they've got the better of you in the game." Hale, B. & Collins, D. Rugby Tough. (2002) p. 52.

England were being beaten at half time in two matches at the World Cup, against Samoa in their final pool match and against Wales in the quarter final. Lawrence Dallaglio, England's number 8, said at half time in both these matches, he did not panic because he knew they would be victorious come the final whistle. He had the same thought when Flately levelled the score in extra-time in the final "He kicked it and the whistle went, and I just thought, 'what's gone is gone and you can't change it'. But we knew we could still win the game and when we all got together there was no panic. We said this was the moment we had trained for and we had to trust our fitness and back ourselves. Man for man I felt Australia were more tired than us and we still had he upper hand." Lawrence Dallaglio, Rugby World Magazine January 2004. This self-belief and confidence in himself and the team optimises the confidence of the players, and Woodward shows his self-belief as their coach. "He has a clear purpose and perhaps most importantly of all, vigorous self-belief. His absolute determination that he is on the right pat, and doing the right thing, gave him the courage to push for what he believed England needed in order to be the best. Even when they were losing. Woodward stuck with the self-belief that they could be the best." Kervin, A. Arise Sir Clive. Rugby World Magazine January 2004.

This confidence is echoed by Neil Back, "My confidence is born out of the work we've done and the fact we've won 19 of the last 20 tests the only one we've lost was with our second team away to France and that was by a point to their best XV. If that doesn't give you confidence, then I don't know what will." Neil Back, Sunday Herald. 16th November 2003.