2003 Rugby World Cup winners: where are they now?

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Tuesday, 12 September 2017 at 21:17
wherearethey
Sir Clive Woodward's side won every single match on the way to beating Australia in the final on their own turf.
Here, RUCK looks at what each member of that squad is doing now...
15. Josh Lewsey
Won another 40 caps after the World Cup final, a mainstay in a team that was chopped and changed in the subsequent years. Retired completely from the game in 2009 before making a short comeback in 2011 for Wasps. Took over as the Head of Rugby at the Welsh Rugby Union in September 2013 following his brief tenure as acting CEO of Cornish Pirates. He resigned in November 2015, citing personal reasons which would prevent him from dedicating himself to the position full-time.
14. Jason Robinson
fter retiring in 2007, tried his hand at sheep farming and was the head coach of Sale Sharks for the 2009/10 season before making a playing comeback with National League Two side Fylde the following year. He completely retired in July 2011 and is now a director of sportswear firm Proskins as well as an ambassador for HSBC, XBlades and Land Rover.
13. Mike Tindall
Forced to miss the 2007 World Cup after he broke a leg playing for Gloucester. Continued playing for England through the 2011 World Cup where he was at the centre of one of the scandals surrounding England’s campaign. He married Zara Phillips in Edinburgh in 2011 and still played rugby for Gloucester up until 2014. He still occasionally coaches and plays for amateur club MinchinhamptonRFC, who compete in Gloucester 2. In December 2016, Tindall was announced as an Athlete Ambassador for the charity Right To Play UK, which uses the transformative power of play to educate and empower children to overcome the effects of poverty, conflict and disease in disadvantaged communities.
12. Will Greenwood
Greenwood continued to play rugby for Harlequins until the end of the 2005/06 season. Has since moved into the media, writing a weekly column for the Telegraph and working as an analyst for Sky Sports.
11. Ben Cohen
Played for Northampton Saints until 2007 before joing Brive in France until 2009 and then playing his final two years of his career with Sale Sharks. Founded the Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation in 2011 which raises awareness the long-term effect that bullying can have. He's also taken part in TV series Strictly Come Dancing as well as The Jump.
10. Jonny Wilkinson
After 2003 Wilkinson endured a succession of injury problems that interrupted his England career but he played in the 2007 World Cup final and won the Six Nations in 2011, retiring from international rugby in the December of the same year after England’s failed World Cup campaign. In the 2015 Queen's Birthday Honours, he was promoted to Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) 'for services to Rugby Union'. Has also set up the Jonny Wilkinson Foundation, seeking to offer life-changing support to members of his community who need it most.
Retired from rugby in May 2006 since when has built a career in the media. Is a team captain on Question of Sport, finished second in Strictly Come Dancing and then won Celebrity Masterchef. Has worked widely on radio as a summariser for the BBC.
1. Trevor Woodman
Forced to retire at 29 due to a back injury he sustained at Sale Sharks in 2005. Went on to commentate for Fox Sports the following year. Worked in Australia as a scrum coach before joining Wasps in that role. Woodman then returned to his old club Gloucester Rugby in 2014, where he still works as their Scrum Coach.
2. Steve Thompson
Remarkably, played in the ill-fated 2011 Rugby World Cup campaign following his brief retirement in 2007 due to a neck injury. Forced to retire for good in 2011 whilst playing for Wasps due to a subsequent serious neck injury. Since his retirement, he has based himself in Dubai and has worked as a rugby analyst for OSN in Asia.
3. Phil Vickery
Captain of the (almost successful) 2007 World Cup squad. Retired in 2010 due to neck injuries. Won the 2011 series of Celebrity Masterchef before working as a co-commentator at the 2011 Rugby World Cup for ITV.
4. Martin Johnson
The World Cup winning captain retired from international rugby before the 2004 Six Nations, continuing to play at club level for Leicester until 2006. In 2007 he worked as an analyst for ITV in their coverage of the Superbowl before becoming a surprise choice as England chief in April 2008. Still getting over the 2011 World Cup which brought to an end his stint as England supremo. Has taken up cycling and done some coaching sessions with younger players and was an ambassador for the 2015 World Cup.
5. Ben Kay
Played professionally until 2009, including every minute of England’s run to the World Cup final in 2007. He helped Leicester Tigers to win back-to-back Premiership titles before retiring. He went on to become an ESPN rugby commentator for the 2010/11 season and is now a commentator for BT Sport and video game Rugby 18.
6. Richard Hill
The only player never to be dropped during Sir Clive Woodward’s tenure as England manager, was forced to retire from rugby due to a knee injury. He worked for two years as a business development manager for Saracens, hosted hospitallity guests and then mentored and coached academy players.He now sits at the heart of the England set up with a seat on the RFU Council, and acts as a consultant to the RFU helping to identify, mentor and develop young players both on and off the field.
7. Neil Back
ropped from the 2004 Six Nations squad and subsequently retired from international rugby, although he played for the British and Irish Lions in the first Test v New Zealand in 2005. He then retired. Went into coaching, most recently as forwards coach for Edinburgh Rugby until March 2013. He's now a brand ambassador for Rybrook Cars and Midlands Air Ambulance.
8. Lawrence Dallaglio
Retired in 2008 helping Wasps win the Guinness Premiership final at a sold-out Twickenham in his last professional game. He went on to work as an analyst for ITV during the 2011 Rugby World Cup and co-commentated on the semi-final match between Australia and New Zealand before setting up the Dallaglio Foundation which has raised millions of pounds for charity through gruelling cycling challenges. Now BT Sport’s lead rugby union expert.
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