England returned home on Monday after a painful 2003-2004 season which closed in Brisbane on Saturday with a 51-15 thrashing by Australia which made them the worst-performing world champions in history.
Their fifth defeat in eight Tests meant England returned as world chumps just eight months after 8 000 fans crammed Heathrow to welcome them home as world champs.
Australia ended a five-match losing sequence against England stretching back to their last win in 1999 with six tries to two after losing the World Cup final to England in extra time last November.
It was England’s third-worst defeat coming after Australia’s 76-0 win there in 1998 and New Zealand’s 64-22 victory two weeks later in Dunedin.
England crashed twice to New Zealand, 36-6 and 36-12, scoring just two tries and conceding a total of 123 points.
England, who had lost only two matches in the three previous years, will try to halt the slide in November, when — bolstered by some of the players missing Down Under — they return to Twickenham for Canada, South Africa and Australia.
England have slumped more quickly than any of the four previous world champions.
The All Blacks went 17 Tests unbeaten over three years after winning the inaugural World Cup in 1987.
Australia suffered only one narrow loss to New Zealand in nine Tests after their 1991 triumph before the cracks started to appear in 1993.
The 1999 Wallabies maintained their standards for the next two years, despite losing possibly the greatest Test of all-time to New Zealand (35-39) in 2000.
But that was the only reverse in 10 matches as Rod Macqueen’s side claimed successive Tri-Nations titles and an historic first series victory over the Lions.
The Wallabies only declined after the retirement of inspirational captain John Eales in 2001.
Only 1995 world champions South Africa come anywhere near England’s record. The Springboks won their next four Tests before losing five out of six the following year, but four of those defeats were against New Zealand.
England coach Clive Woodward, knighted after the 2003 World Cup triumph, has had to do without inspirational captain Martin Johnson who retired and the injured Jonny Wilkinson.
In fact, 12 of the 22 on duty for the World Cup final have either retired (five), were injured (four) or rested (three) for the Tour Down Under.
England’s back play has been abysmal with only two tries in three Tests while their much-vaunted defence disintegrated as the Wallabies and All Blacks ran in 14 tries. – Sapa-AFP