England buy Cup-winning balls

With no way of determining exactly which ball was slotted through the middle of the uprights by England fly-half Jonny Wilkinson to win the Rugby World Cup, English newspaper The Sun, did the next best thing - they bought all four!

The Sun launched a campaign earlier in December for the return of the match-winning ball, demanding that the Australians return to England what was rightfully theirs, but there was no way of telling what happened to the ball.

It was later discovered that all four match balls were auctioned off ahead of the game and won by four Australians, although which ball was destined to become a piece of history is anybody's guess.

The Sun decided to send reporter Andrew Parker over to Sydney armed with an open cheque book and the names of the four Sydney men who had won balls - Ray Byrne, 37, Melbourne sales executive Jim Huglin, and businessman Mark Lowe all handed over the balls for a price, but Tony Woodward, from Sydney, proved more difficult.

Woodward proved a wily negotiator and parted with his ball with the promise that he would be provided with another World Cup ball used by the Wallabies, plus the promise of an official ball signed by the England team.

True to his namesake, Woodward could not resist a parting shot at the English reporter.

"As we've done the decent thing by you, do you reckon there is any chance of sending the Ashes back for us?" he asked.

Mission accomplished, Parker returned to London, aboard Sweet Chariot with the balls on Jonny Wilkinson's seat, J64, where the balls were presented to the England team.

The Sun have now organised for the balls to go on a nationwide tour in an open-topped bus.

After that, one will be presented to Wilkinson, one to England captain Martin Johnson, a third to the national rugby museum at Twickenham and the fourth will be given away in a national competition.