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[Blwe_torch]

Final moments - pivotal tries
(Rugby News Service) Saturday 20 October 2007
By Greg Fraser
From Paris



  Final glory: Jason Robinson scores for England in the 2003 world cup final
PARIS, 20 October - With all the talk about the boot predicted to play a major role in this year's final, it is worth noting that tries have been just as crucial in deciding four previous world cup showpieces.

The 2003 final was full of drama as Australia and England went head to head in the Sydney rain.

Australia opened the scoring when Lote Tuqiri latched on to a cross-field kick before Jonny Wilkinson steered England back in front with three successful penalties.

Then came an incisive, dashing move that produced one of the great final tries.

Lawrence Dallaglio was fed by scrum-half Matt Dawson at the breakdown and he burst deep into the left corner of the Australian half before a great reverse pass found Wilkinson on his right.

Wilkinson continued the fluency of the move, breaking ever closer to the Wallabies line before passing to the charging Jason Robinson on his left.

The former rugby league star did the rest, sprinting for the line and plunging over in the corner to give England a 14-5 lead.

The match finished level after 80 minutes before Wilkinson's dramatic extra-time drop goal secured Engand their first world crown.

Australia are the only nation to win two world cups and it was a fine solo effort from Ben Tune that helped them to their second title in the 1999 final against France in Cardiff.

Tune burst down the right through two tacklers to touch down in the corner on 66 minutes, giving it his trademark diving finish and Australia a  26-12 lead.

Team-mate and flanker Owen Finegan showed his own turn of speed on full-time, launching a run from 30 metres and bumping off tacklers to score an unlikely solo try under the posts.

Australia prop Tony Daly's also took the direct route to the line to score the only try of the 1991 final against hosts England at Twickenham.

Daly's try came after a strong forward drive to the line, the prop peeling off to cross.

The inaugural world cup final between New Zealand and France in 1987 was dominated by the All Blacks, captain David Kirk scoring one of the host nation's tries and inspiring another.

Kirk scampered 20m to score in the 60th minute, struggling away from the defenders.

Two minutes later he burst from the back of a ruck, ducking under the defence again to feed wing John Kirwan, who raced away from the cover to score in the corner.