DAWLISH man Pete Cross England's official rugby mascot, has just returned from Australia after supporting the England team from start to historical finish.
Known personally by the players as Mr England, he has been cheering them on and hyping the crowds in his trademark white top hat and tails emblazoned in the cross of St George and covered in international rugby club badges.
Mr Cross said: 'I never applied for the job as mascot. It all came about because I used to dress up at Twickenham and people just got to know me as I never miss a game.
'It was about seven years ago I got to know the stewards and they started to let me into the players' tunnel. I started to get friendly with the players, then the next thing I heard was that England wanted me as their first official mascot in 1999.'
He now receives an access all areas pass for Twickenham games and gets to go to the players' post-match reception.
'The build up to the matches in Australia was amazing because I was going for five and a half weeks and was going to see all of the England games,' he continued.
'I knew we were going to win it from the start and had every confidence in the team as we always looked so strong.
'When Jonny Wilkinson scored the winning points for us in the final I felt very strange. Everything that I had dreamed of had happened. When the final whistle and the fireworks went off it was all a bit too much to take in. We had done it.
'Afterwards I was exhausted. It took about an hour to get back into Sydney but I still had the strength to party. I went and met the players and we talked about the game, and drank until 4.30 in the morning. Even at that hour the city was still heaving. You couldn't even get a taxi. The next day I flew back.
'It's been a bit strange since returning as I was in Australia for such a long time, but I'm looking forward to their next game.'
Mr Cross can be seen strutting his stuff at the next England v New Zealand Barbarians at Twickenham on December 20.