IT WAS the morning after the glorious night before, and Team England were spread far and wide.

Head coach Clive Woodward, along with his wife Jayne, was down on a secluded part of the Manly beach he knows so well - having lived five years in this neck of the woods while playing for the local rugby team.

It Is the perfect place for reflection. Woodward, meticulous as he is, was no doubt filing the memories of the extraordinary extra-time proceedings at the Telstra stadium - scenes he insists will live with him forever.

Many of the players were not yet back, having celebrated way past dawn in what was their first serious down time for months.

Some, like Will Greenwood, had made a point of staying relatively sober so that "I can drink in and soak up everything that has happened over the past 24 hours."

Many, you suspect, were not so restrained.

Others had filed in at various times between breakfast and lunch from their official function in The Rocks part of the city, where hours before fireworks had been exploding in their honour over the Harbour Bridge and Opera House.

Jonny Wilkinson, of course, had an early night.

Lawrence Dallaglio, Jason Leonard and Martin Corry turned up at their hotel in a police van around 2pm - the local constabulary having apparently given them a helpful lift following their protracted celebrations.

All were greeted by a throng of around 500 England supporters - the majority in replica shirts, most hunting autographs and all still delirious at the manner of England's victory.

They snatched brief glimpses of Wilkinson, Dallaglio and Johnson as they packed their belongings from the England team room and occasionally waved to the crowd.

At least that was the case - until the rain came down and the hotel relented to allow some of the fans into the spacious foyer to form a guard of honour to the team coach for the players as they went out to attend a glittering International Rugby Board awards bash.

Each player was cheered down the spiral staircase - the loudest predictably saved for Wilkinson and girlfriend Diana Stuart who walked hand-in-hand, though with heads bowed, past the spectators.

The chants changed inevitably to 'Swing Low Sweet Chariot' - the song synonymous with a winning England rugby side.

It worked - Wilkinson picking up Player of the Year, England Team of the Year and Woodward Coach of the Year.