An English official outraged Australian Rugby Union chief John O'Neill by suggesting the Australians had given themselves an unfair advantage by using creatine, a legal dietary supplement. Captain John Eales said he defied anyone to say the Wallabies did not play very well. O'Neill revealed that he fronted an English official immediately after the final at Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, in which Australia thrashed France 35-12, over a comment the official had made.
Creatine is a legal performance-enhancing substance widely used by athletes.
Many sports bodies are reviewing the drug, amid pressure for it to be banned. The home unions haven't come to grips with the age of professionalism in rugby. The centrepiece of the British media's criticism of Australia's playing style came in a scathing article by respected journalist Simon Barnes in The Times . Barnes wrote that the Australians had won the tournament on the back of boring, defensive football, while trying to fool everyone they were playing open rugby. My God, they were dull.