The Boys of Winter

England have been in four Rugby World Cup finals and only won one of them. In 2003, this team was the one that did it.

Nearly 20 years on, with their achievement still unmatched, the affection and respect this band of brothers command is as great as ever. There is still no modern player as well-known and beloved as Jonny Wilkinson. There has been no captain as celebrated and respected as Martin Johnson. There is a public connection with this team that has never been equalled.

In The Boys of Winter, former England captain Lawrence Dallaglio and Owen Slot tell the definitive inside story of the triumphant 2003 Rugby World Cup tournament, through interviews with the key protagonists - Johnson, Woodward, Wilkinson and the rest.


But what has become of those heroes of our youth? Dallaglio's story combines not only the first-hand accounts of those who played through that historic moment, but also stories of what's happened since. For some it was the pinnacle of their lives, for others a missed opportunity, and for others still a curse from which they never recovered. This is the definitive account of a legendary sporting moment and simultaneously an investigation into the costs of our dreams.