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This has been the most incredible tournament. Now, a couple of days later I feel ready to talk about the final.

With VU running trips to the World Cup I had to be upbeat about England’s chances in the months before the tournament – it was not really in my interest to tell people that it was not worth booking anything after the quarters because England would be on the Eurostar home. However, even the World Champion optimist would have been hard pushed to say England would be in the final, and ultimately a bit unlucky to lose it. There is no doubt that the whole England squad did us proud and it has been the most amazing six weeks of sporting excellence.

I think the video ref probably got the try decision correct. If you are not 100 per cent sure then you cannot give it and one of the pictures in the papers today suggests that Cueto was nudging the line. World Cups really can be decided by millimetres. There was a certain amount of nervous tension in the atmosphere at the Stade de France and I think the players felt it – that probably did not help in making this a great game. At the end of it England just made a few too many mistakes and it upsets me to say it that South Africa were worthy winners (I did tip them at the start,shame I did not put any money on them!). Later in this blog I will give out a few Ubogu awards – I bet you can’t wait – but one thing I think we can all agree on is that England exceeded expectations.

VU has had 1600 clients in France (and on two occasions Wales) during the tournament and I think physically I feel more knackered than I did actually playing in a World Cup. This weekend was the VU final and all my training peaked for this moment! On the Friday night we enjoyed a pre-match warm-up in Paris with a few beers and some fine wine. We were able to catch the Argentina v France game on a TV. What a great effort from the Pumas.

We had the ‘Bath Mafia’ over in Paris. This included De Glanville, Hall, Guscott, Robinson and Adebayo. That was a great treat for the 300 fans in the VU party. The ‘Bath Mafia’ are great at getting free drinks out of me – I just hope it is all tax deductible. The Bath Mafia was actually boosted by a paying guest. Ben Clarke was out here entertaining clients. That was a bonus for me – having a former rugby legend in the party who was actually paying his way!

After the game on Saturday night it was time to drown our sorrows. It was back to VU HQ – Carrs Irish Bar. The singing was led by Bath legend Dave Egerton – he has got some great moves for an older man! We were out in the street singing and dancing, God knows what it would have been like if we had won.

You really are not going to believe the next statement but I actually called it a night without going on to the nightclub where the England players, and even the next in line to the Throne, were. I think after six weeks of hard work I suddenly realised that was the end of it and collapsed. No more phone calls day and night from people desperate for tickets. No more suicidal calls from clients due out for the weekend crying because they suddenly realised they had double booked an important family commitment (yes that really did happen) and no more sleepless nights worrying that everything goes smoothly (and I like to think it did).

Well I might have a few days off and then it is time to prepare for the Fight Night, Hatton’s Las Vegas trip and of course the Six Nations. Oh and I think Christmas is in the middle of all that somewhere.

Well done England and congratulations to South Africa. Thanks to my fellow blog master Ronnie Regan who will post more up here and look out for more blogs from me. Now where are we meant to be in four years time?

THE UBOGU RUGBY WORLD CUP 2007 AWARDS

Best English Player – The pack as a unit but if we need to single out then Sheridan.

Biggest Surprise Package – Although Argentina took many of the headlines they have been knocking on the door for a while. I think Fiji came from nowhere and shocked the world

Best Game – No contest Australia v England, terrific

Biggest Night – Marseille after the Australia game in a nightclub with the England boys and a rather sore head in the morning

VU Party Guest – Paul Baines, joined me for all the games – how does he do it?

A quick posting today as we are just a couple of hours away from what could well be the game of the tournament. The only comment I will pass about the match is on the controversy surrounding my mate and fellow blogger Mark Ronnie Regan. I know he has purposely not posted anything up about it pre match because he doesn’t want to cause any trouble before the game. I must say that it is amazing that the opposition should complain about who the other team has picked. Ronnie is no angel but then who is when the play in the front row! All this would have done was motivate him even more, although I am sure he is aware that the ref will be keeping a close eye on him.

It is fantastic to be out in Marseille for this England Australia quarter final. Last night was a great way to warm up with a fantastic dinner at the beautiful Petit Nice right in the heart of Marseille and overlooking the Med.

David Campese is out her with the VU party and was a fantastic dinner companion for us last night, even if he is Australian. One of the moments of the night was when a young kid came up to me and said “excuse me Mr Campese can I have your authograph.” Last time I looked in the mirror I did not think I looked that Australian!

There has been good news for me recently when I won a battle with the great British train authorities which has allowed a classic train I chartered to travel back to London from the quarter final in Cardiff tonight. At one stage the people who were once called British Rail said that no trains would be running from Cardiff to London after the match because of engineering work. That left my group on the classic train with the prospect of a bus journey home. However after a letter writing and media campaign in Wales I got the decision reversed something I never managed as a player. Even the Daily Mail did an article about my triumph. I suppose it will make some of the Irish fans on that trip a bit happier!

Finally I have heard that some guys blogging on the BBC website have started a game called Ubogu where they try to say my name as many times as they can without taking a breath. I think this is taking BBC journalism to new heights. Anyway the record is 72. See if you can beat it and come on England!  

I had to keep it under my hat for a day but I am pleased to say I will be starting against Australia in Marseille on Saturday, I hope you have all got tickets.

This Rugby World Cup has been a knockout situation for us for the last two games and I looking forward to getting back out on the pitch for this massive game.

I have just been at a press conference and a lot of the talk was about the inclusion of Andy Farrell and Phil Vickery. Both will offer the experience and physical side of the game we need against the Australians. Andy has really grown as a player during this World Cup and he is a great team man.

I spoke about the Aussies in my last blog, however one thing I want to reiterate is the need to win this game up front. We have picked a big pack out of respect for Australia. There was a time when it could be said they were weak in the pack but that is not the case now. Mike Foley is their forwards coach. He was forwards coach at Bath and I also played against him at international level so I know that he will have left no stone unturned in getting together a world beating pack.

This contest is going to be a bruiser and we all know the Aussies will be out of revenge. Take my word for it that we will be throwing the kitchen sink and all the cutlery at this one.

I found out I was in the team yesterday when Brian pulled the flip chart down. It is always a great moment when you see your name up there. I know one of the questions on the blog is how I get on with the other hookers and I must say that is all good. Lee Mears was again the first to congratulate me, mind you I did teach him everything he knows! We all know it is going to take the whole squad to win this tournament not just a handful of players.

One of the other questions is who was the best at shooting. Put it this way the forwards were good and the backs average.

We are off out for a meal tonight and before that I am going to watch a bit of TV with The Dominator (see previous posts). I wonder if he will pretend to be some sort of action hero jumping over the sofa.

I thought I would let you know who I thought was the player of the tournament so far – but excluding the England team. I must admit that we have not watched all the games as it is important to concentrate on ourselves. However what I have seen I must say Hernandez from Argentina has been fantastic. They have got to start as favourites against the Scots.

Time for a bit of TV with The Dominator and then I had better ring ahead to the restaurant to order Sackey his burger and chips.

Well, we’ve had a good couple of days since the win over Tonga on Friday night. That’s eight tries in two games against good quality opposition. We know that there’s still plenty to work on, but we are improving all the time and are relishing the prospect of playing Australia in Marseille on Saturday. 

We’ve had a really good open team meeting that gave everyone the opportunity to give their thoughts on what was working well and where we could improve. It was a very positive get together, and so much better to have these sessions when things are on the up rather than a crisis meeting when things are not going so well. 

Two areas we need to improve on are our defence and our work at the breakdown. In terms of defence, we are going to have to be much more aggressive and increase our line speed in getting up to the tackle area. It is going to be crucial to stop the Aussies crossing the gain line. 

We will also have to compete better at the breakdown. In George Smith and Phil Waugh Australia possess two of the best in this phase of the game. Again we are going to have to be quicker and more aggressive than we have been to stop them having a big influence on the game. 

The forward battle, as always, is going to be key. If we can dominate up front it will give us a real edge. But we will have to be clinical and make sure that we take the chances that come our way. 

We have clean bill of health for the squad with the big bonus that Jason Robinson is fit and raring to go; one of the best finishers in the game. 

It’s 2-2 overall in terms of England / Australia games in the World Cup. And while the Aussies will no doubt be looking for revenge after 2003, we are quietly confident that we can get the job done. We have effectively played two knock out rounds against Samoa and Tonga, so we are used to the pressures that that brings. 

There will no doubt be a lot said in the media this week in the build up to the game, but I have to say that we are a pretty experienced bunch and I can’t see anything affecting our preparations. 

Personally, I have been given no indication from Brian Ashton as to whether I will be in the 22 come Saturday. I’d obviously love to be involved, but if I’m not I’ll be right behind the boys, just as will be all those that don’t make the final squad. 

We have had some time to relax following the Tonga game, although for those, me included, who didn’t play on Friday there’s still been training sessions to put in. A number of the squad went to Euro Disney with their families and, from what I hear, had the full red carpet VIP treatment.

As for me, I was with a group that went off shooting. We went with our security guys to a range and were able to blast away with all sorts of weapons, from hand guns, shotguns through to machine guns. I’m not sure anyone was in the Clint Eastwood category, but there was certainly The Good, The Bad and The Ugly – although I won’t say who was who! 

Before I sign off, I must say that I’m genuinely disappointed to see Wales and Ireland get knocked out. I was really hoping that the six nations would be pushing right to the end of the competition. So I suppose it’s up to Scotland, France and ourselves to take it forward. 

Finally, congratulations to the boys at Bristol. I’ve kept in good contact with them while I’ve been with the England squad and it was great to see them notch the first win yesterday.