LONDON, Nov 25: England’s victorious rugby World Cup heroes came home on Tuesday to an ecstatic reception from thousands of fans in the biggest welcome ever seen at Heathrow airport.

The team, who conquered Australia 20-17 in the rugby union World Cup final on Saturday, touched down at Heathrow at 0433 GMT in a British Airways jumbo jet specially renamed “Sweet Chariot” which flew them the 10,568 miles home from Sydney.

About 8,000 fans jammed into the Terminal Four arrivals building, turning it into a sea of flags of St George.

The terminal, which at that early hour is normally populated only by a handful of chauffeurs, reverberated to the sound of “Swing Low Sweet Chariot”.

As fans packed the terminal wall to wall, others clambered onto gantries or any vantage point to get a glimpse of the winning team.

They lined roads leading to the terminal, whose multi-storey car park was overflowing 45 minutes before the team’s plane touched down, with cars abandoned in haste along roadsides.

As British Airways flight BA016 taxied to a halt the Webb Ellis cup could be seen being proudly displayed through one of the windows in the front cabin.

Coach Clive Woodward led his men down the plane’s steps, closely followed by captain Martin Johnson bearing the cup.

One of the biggest cheers was reserved for newly nicknamed “drop idol” Jonny Wilkinson, whose last-minute drop goal in extra time clinched the World Cup for England.

Asked how it felt to bring the World Cup back, Woodward said: “It feels fantastic. We are very pleased to be home.”

And as the first players appeared, “Swing Low Sweet Chariot” boomed out across a public address system. The crowds cheered, clapped and waved flags. There were cries of “Oh Jonny, Jonny Jonny Wilkinson”, followed by a chorus of “Jerusalem”.

Fan Paul Riekstine, 35, from Twickenham, southeast England said: “I was one of twenty people who came out here to see the team off and now I’m one of thousands welcoming them home.

“I can’t see anything but it’s worth being here just to sample the atmosphere.”—Reuters