BRITAIN: Three-quarters of a million people poured into London yesterday to see England's rugby union heroes parade the World Cup through the city centre.
Fans, many draped in the red and white flag of St George, braved bitter cold to catch a glimpse of the players as they rode through the heart of the city in two open-topped buses.
As the procession crawled to Trafalgar Square, thousands of supporters struck up rolling choruses of Swing Low Sweet Chariot, the anthem of English rugby union.
Schoolchildren played truant to join the party and their grandparents said the celebrations - triggered by England's dramatic 20-17 victory over Australia last month - surpassed even those in 1966, when England won the soccer World Cup.
"This means more than '66," said 69-year-old Godfrey Harvey, who recalled watching that final with his wife at home on their small black-and-white television. "This was superb because the Aussies had had it their own way for so long." The parade brought Oxford Street to a halt at the height of the Christmas shopping season and swept down Regent Street, where it was greeted by a huge flag of St George covering the street's elegant Georgian facades.
Fans, some of whom had slept out on one of the coldest nights of the year to guarantee a good view, stood 12-deep along the route and packed every inch of Trafalgar Square.
Police estimated the crowd at 750,000, far more than took to the streets 37 years ago to celebrate winning the soccer World Cup - still regarded as England's finest sporting feat.
"This is absolutely fantastic," said veteran prop forward Jason Leonard. "I don't think we will take the smiles off our faces all day." The players then had tea with Queen Elizabeth and went to 10 Downing Street for a champagne reception.