![\"England's](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/0_GettyImages-2071899043.jpg\")
England became champions of the world by beating the Wallabies in Sydney in 2003 <\/p>\nIt’s been 22 years since England beat Australia to become world champions – but some members of that famous squad have endured heartbreaking setbacks in the years that have followedEngland became champions of the world by beating the Wallabies in Sydney in 2003 <\/p>\n
The autumn internationals are upon us, with England<\/a> facing Australia <\/a>on Saturday afternoon in what is set to be another classic encounter between the two proud rugby nations.<\/p>\n Heading into the match, it is the Wallabies who currently hold bragging rights, having beaten Steve Borthwick’s side 37-42 at Twickenham in their last meeting a year ago. However, their head-to-head record is nearly as even as it can get, with England winning 28 of their 56 previous clashes and Australia winning 27, with one match in 1997 finishing in a draw.<\/p>\n Of course, perhaps the most memorable enounter between the two sides came back in 2003, when England – then led by Sir Clive Woodward – were crowned world champions at the Rugby World Cup<\/a> in Australia.<\/p>\n That victory Down Under – famously sealed by a last-gasp extra time drop goal from Jonny Wilkinson – saw the players that took to the field for England that day<\/a> etch their names into the history books, with many of them quickly becoming household names and forging exciting new careers in rugby and beyond.<\/p>\n However, the years that have followed have seen some members of that World Cup-winning squad endure a series of heartbreaking setbacks from devastating health diagnoses to bankruptcy and other brutal personal difficulties<\/p>\n Today’s special guest at Twickenham, Lewis Moody<\/strong>, is the latest to be dealt a cruel hand, having been diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND) earlier this year.<\/a> Going public with his diagnosis last month, the 47-year-old former flanker revealed he had suffered with shoulder weakness before seeking medical attention<\/a>, with scans revealing he had the life-shortening, incurable illness.<\/p>\n Moody – who came off the bench late on in the 2003 final – admitted that the devastating diagnosis had come as a “huge shock” to him and his family and was “incredibly hard” to process, but vowed to “continue to embrace life” with his family. He has since been inundated with support from across the rugby world, with his inspiring bravery leaving some of his former teammates in tears.<\/a><\/p>\n The Leicester Tigers legend is not the first English World Cup winner to have his life changed by a cruel diagnosis, however, with hooker Steve Thompson <\/strong>diagnosed with early onset dementia and probable Chronic Traumatic Encephalophaty (CTE) in late 2020.<\/p>\n Thompson, who was just 42 when he received the diagnosis, played all 100 minutes of the 2003 final in Sydney but admits that he recalls nothing from the match, and often fails to remember the name of his children. <\/a>He is one of over 1,000 former rugby players to have joined a concussion lawsuit against World Rugby, the Rugby Football Union and the Welsh Rugby Union<\/a>, having publicly admitted he wishes he had never played the sport.<\/p>\n Also part of that same lawsuit is Phil Vickery<\/strong>, who started alongside Thompson in the front row in the final. The former prop now looks extremely different to how he did when he took to the field in Sydney 22 years ago, having undergone a dramatic body transformation that has seen him go from being a 20-stone tighthead to a ripped bodybuilder<\/a>, losing an impressive six stone after overhauling his diet and exercise regime.<\/p>\n Vickery has since admitted that turning to bodybuilding had helped him deal with an incredibly difficult period in his personal life<\/a>, as he was declared bankrupt last year. That followed a divorce from his wife, the death of his father and the closing down of his restaurant business, while scans later showed that he, like Thompson, has probable CTE.<\/p>\n “Covid, the restaurant, bankruptcy, divorce\u2026 is it the lowest point of your life? Of course it is,” the 73-cap international told The Times last year. “It’s your own integrity. It’s Phil Vickery; honesty, integrity, passion, pride\u2026 but you’ve failed. You can keep playing a game, telling yourself you’ll make it work. In the end, it caught up with me.”<\/p>\n While he has gone through plenty of his own struggles, however, Vickery was left in tears last year <\/a>as he spoke with his former teammate Ben Cohen<\/strong> about life after rugby. Cohen, who started on the left wing in Sydney, has had an incredibly tumultuous time away from the pitch, with serious financial difficulties leading him to sell his Rugby World Cup winners medal, simply to survive during the pandemic.<\/p>\n Shortly after retiring from rugby, the former Northampton star appeared on Strictly Come Dancing and was partnered with Russian professional dancer Kristina Rihanoff, who he would go on to start a relationship with shortly after splitting from his wife of 11 years in the wake of his appearance on the BBC<\/a> show.<\/p>\n Cohen and Rihanoff got enagaged in 2022 and had a daughter together, but it was recently confirmed that they had split up due to financial issues, which were made public in court last year. It emerged that the couple had been crippled by business debts, which amounted to around \u00a31 million, with their joint yoga venture – Soo Yoga Group – running up debts of just shy of \u00a3488,500.<\/p>\n \u201cI get up every day and I fight not to lose everything,” Cohen told the court at the time. “To lose my cars and my house and my relationship. I\u2019m so overdrawn.\u201d<\/p>\n The 57-cap winger has been candid about his struggles since hanging up his boots<\/a> and, together with former teammate Matt Dawson, amongst others, he has helped to launch the Champions 2003 charity, which aims to support those transitioning out of rugby who are suffering physical and mental health issues.<\/p>\n “Everyone faces the same challenge in leaving sport,\u201d Cohen told The Independent last year. \u201cHow do I reinvent myself? I\u2019ve got no education or further education. Who am I? Finding out who you are after being in something so systematic is difficult because you don\u2019t know anything else.<\/p>\n [Winning a Rugby World Cup] doesn\u2019t keep you for the rest of your life. I don\u2019t think it should \u2013 but I wish I had more understanding of what I\u2019d need when I landed in civvy street. When you leave rugby, you aren\u2019t fit for purpose. There\u2019s no help or support, you are just winging it.<\/p>\n “The perception is that we are all gazillionaires, on the front cover of magazines, on TV. That isn\u2019t normally the reality,” he added. “Even social media isn\u2019t the reality; that\u2019s a perception. We don\u2019t want people to suffer in silence.”<\/p>\n * Follow all of our channels to ensure you stay up to date with the latest Welsh rugby news. Sign up to our<\/strong> free daily newsletter here<\/strong><\/a> and our <\/strong>WhatsApp channel here<\/strong><\/a> for all the breaking news.<\/strong><\/p>\n You can also follow us on social media on our <\/strong>X account<\/strong><\/a>, <\/strong>Facebook<\/strong><\/a>,<\/strong> Instagram<\/strong><\/a> and<\/strong> TikTok.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n For more exclusive stories and in-depth analysis, you can <\/strong>sign up for the Inside Welsh Rugby substack newsletter here.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n![\"Lewis](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/2_Screenshot-140.jpg\")
Lewis Moody became overcome with emotion as he discussed his diagnosis(Image: BBC)<\/p>\n![\"Vickery](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/2_131224PHILVICKERYBODYBUILDING.jpg\")
Vickery competing at the UK Ultimate Physiques British Open Championships in September(Image: Instagram: @adbarnes00)<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1_GettyImages-1809501826.jpg\")
LONDON, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 22: Former Northampton Saints players (L-R) Steve Thompson, Paul Grayson, Matt Dawson and Ben Cohen pose with the Webb Ellis trophy during the 2003 England Rugby World Cup winning squad reunion at the Eventim Apollo on November 22, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by David Rogers\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n