EVENING Press deputy news editor ANDREW HITCHON was among the thousands of England fans in Sydney to witness first hand England's enthralling elevation into the rugby union elite...

IT IS almost unbelievable. We did it. England fans in their thousands were rewarded by a national team which, for once, did that most un-English of things. They failed to choke.

Mind you, they had some of their fans choking a little.

As I tried to join more than 80,000 fans crowding into the Telstra stadium, my ticket failed to register in the computer check. I had to be taken out and checked again by the security staff, before they let me in. "Sorry for giving you a heart attack,"said the very nice security lady.

She was nearer to the truth than she thought. I thought I was going to have a heart attack for most of the night, my pulse was racing so out of control, my body was shaking from hours before the game to minutes after Jonny Wilkinson did his bit of magic.

So England were boring, were they, as some sections of the Aussie press had it? The real shock was how Woodward's men failed so often to do the things they are good at - and still won. It was almost like a fix, Wilkinson snatching it in extra time with a dropped goal.

Still, we also had a great running try from Yorkshire lad Jason Robinson, against a good, well-practised try from Lote Tuquri.

I was able to celebrate alongside a nice lady lawyer from north London (who told me she had relatives in Hovingham), who even bought me a beer, while they played The Beatles to remind us how long it has been since England did anything quite like this in sport.

The extra time was almost too much for my quaking system, but I survived, and then it was time for a lot of celebrations. The reputedly reserved English were happy and relaxed for once, and the Aussies, perfect hosts for this great tournament, were content to let them enjoy their moment.

This England team deserved their moment, more than most sportsmen this country has produced.

It was a remarkable event, a remarkable experience, and the result went the right way.

Updated: 13:06 Monday, November 24, 2003