Parade in pictures Reception delights players Fans bring city to standstill

England scrum half Matt Dawson was bowled over by the hundreds of thousands of fans who turned out to pay tribute to the World Cup winning rugby team.

Dawson told BBC Sport he would remember Monday's parade - which brought London to a standstill - for the rest of his life.

"I'm 30 years plus and I feel like a big kid. I don't think any of us in our wildest dreams expected so many people to come out in London.

"They're not just watching it and showing their appreciation - the place is going absolutely mad!

"It's so great so many people took the opportunity to come out to central London.

"This is something that not just us but everyone here will remember for the rest of their lives."

Dawson added: "Winning the World Cup was not just great for rugby it benefited the whole country and now it means that winning feeling will spread to all sports, be it football, cricket, rowing or whatever."

It was Dawson's pass which set up Jonny Wilkinson for the final-winning drop goal and the Northampton scrum-half tried was happy to relive the moment of glory.

"I haven't watched it on video yet. But I remember the boys in front of me setting up the ruck and seeing the ball and thinking to myself 'All I want to do is hit Jonny , I want to hit him right on the spot'.

"At the time I didn't realise the enormity of it, I genuinely did not realise what a big opporunity it was for Jonny and the whole team.

"It's not really until you think back at how everything had to be right what an amazing moment it was - and there was no better man to have in the Number 10 slot to bang it over."

While Wilkinson has been shunning the limelight, Dawson is relishing the attention that has been lavished on him.

"I've had a great time," he laughed.

"I can't say life has been normal - it hasn't. I've met the public, I'm going to meet the Queen, I've been on David Frost on Sunday morning."

Dawson revealed to a packed Trafalgar Square that he nearly did not get his winner's medal back to England.

"I went through the metal detector at the airport in Sydney and kept setting it off.

"I took my watch off and that didn't work. So I took my change out of my pocket - and that didn't work so the security guard said 'I'm going to have to frisk you'.

"I said 'Oh no hang on a minute' and lifted my shirt up and showed him my medal!"

Dawson, Martin Johnson, Wilkinson and co. were due to take tea with the queen at Buckingham Palace on Monday after their victory parade through the streets of London.

Dawson revealed that the players had first learned of the invitation as a result of a text the Queen sent to her grandson Prince Harry just minutes after Wilkinson's drop goal clinched their victory over Australia.

Dawson told BBC Radio: "It was quite funny how we found out about it. Harry told us, 'I've just got a text from my nan and she wants to give you a party.'"

The prince, currently on a gap year in Australia, was an enthusiastic supporter of England's campaign and joined the players' celebrations after the match.