Daniel Craig lends 007 support to England rugby world cup team

Five weeks ago an English victory in the Rugby World Cup final looked about as plausible as the opening scene of a Bond movie, or a Tory general election victory. How swiftly things change. Tonight, 36 days after they were humiliated 36-0 by South Africa in the group stages, England take on the same opponents in the final with messages of support from 007 and the prime minister ringing in their ears - reports The Guardian.

Head coach Brian Ashton revealed yesterday that Gordon Brown and Daniel Craig, the current Bond, had led the flood of goodwill that has washed over England's team hotel in Paris this week.

Craig took time out from filming the latest 007 movie in Lithuania to call Ashton and wish him and the players well. "He said he was really sorry that he couldn't be here as he is filming and he wouldn't be able to watch the match," Ashton said. "He just wished us well and said he was a massive England rugby fan."

Craig's interest probably ensures him a permanent invite to Twickenham. The prime minister, who owes his partial loss of sight to a school rugby accident, will be in Paris tonight.

Ten days ago, before the semi-final against France, Ashton responded to a press inquiry about Mr Brown's support by questioning whether as a Scot the prime minister would be interested in the exploits of an English team. He soon had an answer.

"After my comment in the press conference we got a fax from the prime minister, and we got another one yesterday," Ashton said. "We're on Christian-name terms now, it seems. It's something I never imagined would happen in my life, seeing a fax from No 10 Downing Street.

"It's been staggering, the support from the cricketers, the football guys, and the huge number of fans that have come out [to France], some of them knowing that they might not make it to the game."

Mr Brown's second fax included a quote from Winston Churchill on the PM's favourite theme, courage: "Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities, because it is the quality that guarantees all others."

The PM will be among an estimated 30,000 England supporters at the Stade de France tonight, though as a guest of the Rugby Football Union his search for a ticket has been less taxing than that of many pouring into Paris yesterday.

For much of the week it seemed that French revenge for the elimination of their team would come in the form of a national strike by transport workers that brought the capital to a standstill. By last night, however, the worst effects of the industrial action had passed and those fans arriving at Gare du Nord were at least able to stream out into Paris on a partially functioning Metro system, but not before they had run the gauntlet of a welcoming committee of touts. It is one of the peculiarities of international sport that no matter where you are in the world the touts are always English, and so it proved yesterday. The asking price for tickets reached €1,200 (£850).

Rugby being rugby, the majority of the supporters had travel, hotels and tickets booked months ago, but there were enough desperate supporters around to keep the scalpers interested.

Paul Jaques and Flight Barrington from Coventry had managed to beat the price down to €1,040 after driving from the Midlands via the Channel Tunnel overnight, but considered it money well spent. "We were both in Australia when England won the world cup in 2003, but I never got to the game," said Mr Flight. "I got pneumonia before the final and was in hospital, and the hospital director tried to buy my ticket from me. This time I'm definitely going to see it, come what may."

Those that don't make it into the ground tonight will be able to watch the match on a big screen next to the Stade de France, a scene that will be repeated across England at venues including the O2 and Twickenham as the country gears up for its biggest oval-ball moment in four years.

The team's hopes once again rest largely on the shoulders of Jonny Wilkinson, and Madame Tussauds installed its waxwork of England's totemic kicker on the empty fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square yesterday, in sight of South Africa House.

Fans watching the final at home or in the pub could spend up to £200m if England win, according to new figures. Even if England were to lose, the food and drink spending glut would total around £150m, the Centre for Economics and Business Research said.

Tesco said a national "feel-good factor" had pushed up demand for champagne and luxury foods such as lobster and steak over the past week. Even plasma TVs have seen a 36% sales upturn in the wake of England's semi-final success, the UK's biggest supermarket chain said.

Sainsbury's alone is expecting to sell 12.5m bottles and cans of lager, beer and cider, and more than half a million curries. Wine merchant Berry Bros & Rudd said the team's success so far was behind a 71% increase in champagne sales over the past fortnight.

All 75,000 hotel rooms in Paris are booked. Anyone hoping for a bed for the night may have to head for a campsite in the Bois de Boulogne, five miles west of the city. But some supporters plan to stay out all night and crawl on to an early-morning Eurostar on Sunday. The O2 Arena in Greenwich, south-east London, claims to be hosting the largest gathering outside Paris, showing the match in its London piazza area, as it did last weekend, with 5,000 visitors texting for a free pass to the big screen. Twenty Odeon cinemas will provide free access to a screening of the match, although alcohol is banned.

William Hill is facing the biggest rugby payout in betting history if England win, currently standing to pay punters more than £2.4m. A customer from Bath would win £132,000 after putting £2,000 on the team to win the final at 66/1 three weeks ago.

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