IT’S now been twenty years since England’s iconic Rugby World Cup victory in 2003, with England’s current crop of stars desperate to emulate them this winter in France.
And here’s a look at what that crop of stars are up to now, with their lives taking on several different trajectories since retiring… From becoming a banking CEO all the way to rescuing bears for a living.
AP:Associated PressJosh Lewsey was a fierce competitor on the field[/caption]
JOSH LEWSEY MBE: No 15 (Full Back)
GettyHe is now a banking CEO[/caption]
Former army officer who graduated from Sandhurst as a troop commander with the Royal Artillery in 2001 but resigned his commission in 2002 to concentrate on the Rugby World Cup having combined his military career with playing professional rugby.
The 5ft 11 tall final line of defence played 55 times for England and 3 times for the British Lions.
Named Wasps Player of the Year in his final season he retired in 2008.
In 2006 without informing Wasps he went climbing in the Himalayas and reached the base camp at K2 and in 2010 after he retired he tried to climb Mount Everest and got within 500m of the summit when his oxygen failed.
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He swapped his boots for the boardroom and went into big business working in banking in the City and is now based in Hong Kong as the CEO of the Asia-Pacific global financing company Teneo Value+. Lewsey, now 47, divorced wife Vanessa in 2011 and is believed to be single.
He scored 22 tries for England in his time in the Red Rose jersey and also did a highly successful campaign of TV adverts for Land Rover.
JASON ROBINSON OBE: No 14 (Right Wing)
Nicknamed “Billy Whizz” after the Beano character for his incredible speed he switched from Rugby League where he won 12 caps for Great Britain and 7 for England in 2000 when he announced he was going to Union and joining Sale Sharks.
Robinson made his debut for England in 2001 against Romania.
He went on to win 51 caps for England and became the first black man to Captain the national team.
He also won 5 caps for the British and Irish Lions before retiring in 2007 after losing to South Africa in the 2007 World Cup Final.
He won his MBE for winning the Rugby World Cup in 2003 but in 2008 it was upgraded to an OBE in the New Year Honours List. He crossed the white line for the Red Rose 28 times.
Since retirement he has coached in both codes and is joint operations manager for the Jamaican national rugby team and is a Brand Ambassador for 8 major companies including Sale Sharks RUFC and will be the Ashashi Super Dry ambassador at the World Cup.
He had six children with his first wife and remarried in 2017 and has another child now. He is aged 48.
WILL GREENWOOD MBE: No 13 (Outside Centre)
The 6ft 4 inch-tall and 15st 10lb powerhouse in the England backline finished the 2003 World Cup as a winner and joint leading try scored with 5.
He had to fly home near the end of the tournament when wife Caroline suffered difficulties during childbirth having lost son Freddie the year before in 2002 who was born premature at 23 weeks and lived for just 45 minutes.
He returned to help England win the trophy. As a result of the tragedy Greenwood, 50, became a Patron of Child Bereavement UK and of Borne which is a medical research charity into preventing premature birth and in 2018 he raised £750,000 walking to the North Pole for Borne. He has three surviving children.
The hard-hitting centre played for Leicester and Harlequins 258 times and played 55 times for England scoring 31 tries retiring from rugby in 2006.
The former banker and university economics graduate went into the world of media and still works for Sky Sports as an expert analyst and has a weekly rugby column in the Daily Telegraph.
He set up Legend Holidays & Events of which he is a director which provides luxury breaks and sports events which are hosted by some of the biggest names in sport.
He recently joined Afiniti UK based in London as the Chief Customer Officer which is a global business consultancy based in London looking after existing clients and finding new ones.
He was inducted into the Rugby Hall of Fame in 2021 and still coaches at Maidenhead RFC.
As a Manchester City fan since the age of 9 he revelled in The Sky Blues winning the treble this season.
His father Dick was a former England RFC coach.
MIKE TINDALL MBE, No 12 (Inside Centre)
AP:Associated PressMike Tindall in England’s final against Australia[/caption]
He went on to compete in I’m A CelebrityRex
The 6ft 2 in tall 16 stone rock in the England backline didn’t only win the World Cup in 2003 but the heart of the Queen’s grand-daughter Zara Phillips when he met her in an Australian bar between games.
They became an item the following year and married in 2011 giving he Queen three great grandchildren.
Nicknamed “Magic Mike” he won 75 caps for England captaining them 7 times and scored 14 tries.
He joined Bath RFC aged 18 in 1997 and played 289 matches for them and Gloucester whom he retired from in 2014.
He got kicked out of the England squad during the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand after being caught tossing a dwarf in a bar competition but was later reinstated on appeal but fined £15,000.
He is Patron of the Cure Parkinson’s Trust and an Ambassador for The Midlands Air Ambulance and Rugby for Heroes and has sponsorship deals with Dominoes, Amazon Prime, Puerig CBB and UFX Markets. He and wife Zara who is Princess Anne’s daughter are shrew property investors and Tindall, 44, is an in-demand after dinner speaker.
He now coaches Minchinhampton RFC which is close to his home at Gatcombe Park.
He also appears in weekly podcasts The Good, The Bad & The Rugby with former England legend James Haskell.
In 2022 he was the first member of the Royal Family to appear on ITV’s reality show I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here.
BEN COHEN MBE, No 11 (Left Wing)
Getty Images – GettyBen Cohen made 31 tries for The Red Rose[/caption]
BBCCohen was struck by the Strictly “curse” and is now engaged to dance partner Kristina Rihanoff[/caption]
“Big Ben” was a 6ft 2 winger whose 16 stone bulk brought him 31 tries for England and 57 caps and leaves him the joint third England try scored along with his 2003 World Cup winning teammate centre Will Greenwood.
Cohen honed his Red Rose skills for Northampton, Brive and Sale Sharks turning out 210 times for them in a career that ran from 1996 to 2011. When he retired he set up the Ben Cohen Stand Up Foundation to combat homophobia & bullying.
His nightclub owner father Peter, 58, died after being brutally attacked by three men after going to the aid of a member of staff who was being assaulted.
The 3 went to prison for 5 years after being found guilty of violent disorder.
World Cup winner Ben’s uncle George Cohen was in the team that won the 1966 soccer World Cup for England.
Also in 2011 Cohen became the face of the High & Mighty menswear company for big and tall men.
Cohen hit the headlines after appearing in the 2013 series of Strictly Come Dancing and was hit by “The Curse” after falling for his dance partner Russian Kristina Rihanoff.
He left his wife Abby who he married in 2003 and had twin daughters with in 2008 and estranged from his wife in 2014 and was divorced in 2016 the same year he had a baby daughter with his new lover.
The couple are due to get married later this year with his twins being bridesmaids.
Cohen is now a motivational speaker in demand worldwide and an activist with LGBTQIA+ and wife-to-be Kristina is a choreographer and successful businesswoman.
JONNY WILKINSON: CBE, No 10 (Fly Half)
Times Newspapers LtdWilkinson became a national hero in 2003[/caption]
GettyHe is now an in demand pundit and businessman[/caption]
Wilko became a National Hero in 2003 when he kicked the winning drop goal in the World Cup final v Australia with 28 seconds to go in extra time.
It was the first and only time England have won the cup despite being in three other finals but ending runners up.
Wilko’s 18-year career included 323 games for Newcastle Falcons and then French team Toulon.
The married father-of-one is such a perfectionist as captain of Toulon he first gave the team talk in fluent French then in English.
Widely acknowledged to be one of the best players of all time, he played 91 times for the Red Rose and is their highest ever scorer with 1179 points.
The brave fly half would have played many more times if it was not for a series of long-term injuries. He also toured twice with the British & Irish Lions and was capped 6 times.
In 2002 his MBE was updated after winning the world cup to an OBE in 2004 and after retiring in 2014 the Queen promoted him to CBE for Services to RugbyUnion in 2015.
He has the World Cup record with most points on 277 and is the only player to have scored points in two rugby world cup finals.
In 2013 he married wife Shelley and has won son and lives in Berkshire. He has been in great demand as a kicking coach and will be helping Steve Borthwick’s team to win glory this year by overseeing his kickers. He has been an in-demand pundit for rugby commentary and analysis and is part of the ITV team at the World Cup this year.
He is the author of 5 books and a brand ambassador for Puressentiel promoting their Muscle & Joint range.
He is also in great demand as a motivational speaker. At age 18 he was the youngest ever player to debut for England since 1927.
Veteran centre Jerry Guscott , then 33, admitted when he saw the teenager in the changing room before kick-off he thought he was a schoolboy who had won a day out with the England team.
Wilkinson was also Sports Personality of the Year in 2003 and the International Rugby Board (IRB) International Player of the Year.
Wilkinson was known for his precise kicking ritual before going for goal and for being obsessive in his pursuit for perfection on the rugby pitch
MATT DAWSON MBE, No 9 (Scrum Half)
Getty Images – GettyDawson formed a potent double act with Wilkinson[/caption]
Getty – ContributorHe is now a much loved pundit and TV personality[/caption]
Dawson, 50 was the other half of the double-act that saw Wilkinson drop the goal that won the 2003 World Cup making a break to bring the England pack 20m closer to the posts before he fed his fly half the winning kick 28 seconds from the final whistle.
Former security guard known as Daws played 77 times for England including 9 as captain and scored 16 tries and also played 9 times for the British & Irish Lions scoring twice.
His rugby career stretched from 1991 to 2006 and he and teammate Lawrence Dallaglio are the only two players to have won the Rugby World Cup in both the 7’s and 15’s format.
Dawson became the longest ever team caption of the BBC’s Question of Sport for 17 seasons and won BBC’s Celebrity Master Chef in 2006 and the same year came second in Strictly Come Dancing.
His fund raising included running the London Marathon in 2007 and in 2015 cycling from the Welsh rugby stadium in Cardiff to England’s home at Twickenham doing the 150 miles in a day.
In 2020 the father-of-two separated from his German born former model wife of 11 years.
He is President of the children’s medical research charity SPARKS and a UNICEF UK ambassador and posed nude for woman’s magazine Cosmopolitan to show support for a testicular and prostate cancer charity and is Patron of Beating Bowel Cancer.
The author who published his autobiography in 2004 is currently a match commentator and presenter of BBC Radio’s 5 Live weekly Rugby Show.
The Everton football fan is currently a Health Ambassador for global food provider Sodexo.
He is currently in France as a pundit for the BBC’s 2023 Rugby World Cup coverage.
LAWRENCE DALLAGLIO OBE, No 8 (Back Row)
AFPDallaglio was an icon of the British team[/caption]
GettyHe now has his own charity and works as a pundit[/caption]
The 50-year-old colossus of the back row who at 6ft 4 and nearly 18 stone played 85 times for England and also captained them and went on 3 British Lions tours winning 3 caps.
The former choirboy’s career was also touched with tragedy losing his sister Francesca, aged 19, in the Marchioness disaster on the River Thames. A tireless charity fund raiser, he has completed numerous cycle fundraisers across Europe and the UK.
Married to Alice and with 2 daughters and a son he has recently battled bankruptcy after a fight with the taxman and has been given time to settle a £700,000 bill.
He retired in 2008 after 326 matches for Wasps RFC and moved into TV and radio as an expert pundit.
He is a Director at Akuma Sports and Elite FX and at the Maistro Group.
He is BT Sport’s lead rugby expert for commentary and analysis along with TNT Sports.
His charity DallaglioRugbyWorks uses the core values of the sport to equip youngsters for life after leaving school.
He is recognised as one of the best players to ever pull on a rugby jersey.
NEIL BACK MBE, No 7 (Openside Flanker)
The dynamic high impact tackler won 66 caps in the white jersey for England and captained them 4 times and won 5 caps for the British Lions and played most of his near 400 club matches for Leicester Tigers.
Aggressive and fearsome in the rucks and mauls, it took him some time to prove to doubters that at 5ft 10 he was big enough for the role.
His career saw him play in 3 World Cups and tour 3 times for the British Lions. He is the only England forward to have ever dropped a goal in a test match.
Back retired in 2005 and went on to coach in both rugby union and league. He is now an in-demand motivational speaker and is popular on the after-dinner speaking circuit and is a Director at TPS Visual Comms and Bullerwell & Co insurance brokers.
He married with two children.
RICHARD HILL MBE, No 6 (Blindside Flanker)
Known as the “silent assassin” for his crunching big hits, Hill was the third of the England back row with Dallaglio and Back known as The Holy Trinity feared by opposition teams around the world for their awesome aggression and tackling and ball skills.
The 6ft 2 tall 17 stone beast played 275 times in a 15-year career for Saracens which was ended by injury and won 71 caps for England and 5 for the British Lions.
He retired in 2008 and in 2014 became a Pathway Player Manager ensuring England’s long-term success by mentoring up and coming teenage rugby players preparing them for the red rose jersey.
He is an accomplished public speaker and a Consultant for Olive Media and a Brand Ambassador for Robert Walters and for the RFU Wine Club and is a member of the RFU Council.
In 2019 he was made the England Team Manager under coach Eddie Jones.
BEN KAY MBE, No 5 (Second Row)
The 6 ft 6 in tall lock at 19 stone was a formidable presence at the line out and in the World Cup winning campaign admitted that in a group match v South Africa he had learned how to count in Afrikaans so he could crack their throwing in code.
The son of a judge, his nickname was “M’lud”.
He retired in 2010 after 11 years with his club side Leicester Tigers and won 62 caps for England and 2 for the British & Irish Lions.
The father-of-two was married in 2002 and his fellow World Cup winning skipper Martin Johnson was the usher at his wedding.
He went on to become a rugby analyst and commentator for ESPN and ITV and Talk Sport and how works for BT Sport as a pundit and has a rugby column for The Times.
The Liverpool fan is a director of his advertising company Pablo London and a non-executive director at his old club Leicester Tigers.
MARTIN JOHNSON OBE, No 4 (Second Row)
Times Newspapers LtdJohnson captained England to victory[/caption]
He went on to become a coach and punditRex
England’s behemoth at 6 ft 7 and 19 stone who was the 2003 Grand Slam winning captain, 2003 World Cup winning captain, and the only man to twice captain the British and Irish Lions in 1997 and 2001.
He was awarded an OBE for captaining the Lions to victory v South Africa in 1997 which was upgraded to a CBE after captaining England to victory in the World Cup.
Known as “Johnno”, the 53-year-old played 84 times for England and as captain 39 times with his last match for England captaining them to World Cup glory in Australia.
He played his whole career with Leicester Tigers retiring from rugby in 2005 after 362 games for the Premiership side over 16 seasons.
In 2008 he was appointed Head Coach of England RFC and in 2011 won the Six Nations.
But a poor World Cup the same year losing in the quarter finals in the same year saw him resign.
In the same year he was inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame.
Married to wife Kay, the father-of-two is a highly in demand After Dinner and Motivational speaker and is a regular rugby pundit for the BBC and featured in the recent Six Nations and is part of their team for the current Rugby World Cup.
PHIL VICKERY MBE, No 3 (Tight Head Prop)
Proud Cornishman Vickery, 47, was the colossus of the England pack making the Tight Head prop position his for 10 years and played in all 7 games in the 2003 World Cup right up to lifting the trophy.
The son of a dairy farmer he had to put up stick from his fellow rugby players when they found out he was a qualified cattle inseminator!
He played 199 times for Gloucester and Wasps and 73 times for England including captain during the 2007 Six Nations and 2007 World Cup and played on 2 British and Irish Lions tours.
In all he played for England in 3 World Cups but his 6ft 3in tall and 19st 10lb body took so much pressure he suffered neck and back injuries through his career and in 2010 he was forced to retire on doctor’s advice despite wanting to play in a 4th World Cup the following year.
In 2011 he won Celebrity Master Chef and on the back of his success on the show now runs his own highly successful restaurant No 3 named after his shirt number in Cheltenham.
He became the Deputy Lieutenant of Gloucestershire in 2015. Married to veterinary nurse Kate, he has two children Megan and Harry and lives in a farm near his restaurant.
Vickery has his own clothing brand named after his England nick name “Raging Bull” and is an ambassador McDonalds, British Sausage Week and Red Tractor which is a feed assurance programme.
Earlier this year he was presented with a replacement 2003 World Cup medal after his was stolen
STEVE THOMPSON MBE, No 2 (Centre)
Thompson, 45, at 6ft 2 and 18 stone 8lbs was at the centre of an English front row that dominated all before them in the 2003 World Cup.
He won 73 caps for England and for a time was there most capped hooker and toured with the British and Irish Lions in 2005 winning three caps.
Neck injuries and concussions saw him regularly injured but he played 258 times for Northampton Saints, AC Brive, Leeds Carnegie and Wasps before yet another injury forced him to retire.
Based in Dubai he is an ambassador for the Christina Noble Children’s Foundation and a sports ambassador for security and facilities management services company Transguard.
He has also been a rugby analyst for OSN and ESPN (UK). In 2020 he devastatingly revealed that the during his career the toll on his head and brain through constant collisions had caused earl onset dementia.
He says he cannot remember winning the 2003 Rugby World Cup and sometimes forgets his wife’s name.
He with others is bringing a group action against World Rugby for failing to protect him.
He is married with 4 young children.
TREVOR WOODMAN MBE, No 1 (Loose Head Prop)
Getty Images – GettyWoodman was England’s prop in the World Cup, he now works to rescue bears[/caption]
GettyHe now works as a scrum coach[/caption]
Trevor Woodman was the 6ft tall 17st 9lb Loose Head prop that made up the front row for 2003 World Cup winning coach Clive Woodward’s eight man pack.
He provided such a powerful platform for the backs which allowed them to drive the Australian forwards back closer to their posts for scrum half Matt Dawson to feed Jonny Wilkinson the pass that he slotted over the posts in the dying seconds of extra time to win England the World Cup.
Woodman was unlucky with injuries and played 140 times for Gloucester RFC and 22 times for England but after joining Sale before he could play a single game he suffered a back injury that ended his career aged 29.
Married to Kate when he retired he moved to Australia where he commentated on rugby for Fox Sports and then became the Australian National Scrum Coach.
He returned to England and became scrum coach for London Wasps and then moved on to the same job for Gloucester RFC where he remains today.
He is also Ambassador for International Animal Rescue and spends much of his spare time trying to rescue and rehabilitate bears in India.
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