THIS WEEK REWIND: Most famous streak saw boarding school old girl strip semi-starkers at Twickers

Widely acknowledged mother of all sporting streaks, Erika Roe memorably made Twickenham roar 35 years ago this week.
Erika's winning streak Photo: PAErika's winning streak Photo: PA
Erika's winning streak Photo: PA

January 2 1982 saw the 24-year-old book shop assistant uncharacteristically strip to the waist to bounce onto the pitch during England's rugby union international against Australia.

Alcohol had been consumed, she later admitted, before her half-time topless dash onto the turf with oft-forgotten friend Sarah Bennett (revisited here with semi-naked footage).

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“I still can’t really explain what happened.” she said after. “It was very unlike me. But on that day, it was a case of just being swept up in the atmosphere, which was electric.

"At half time someone said ‘Isn’t this where someone is supposed to streak on the pitch?’ and that was it. I just went. I ripped my top off, then my bra.

“When I heard a roar, I thought the game had re-started and I must get off the pitch. But then I realised the crowd was yelling in appreciation of me."

Indeed they were ... the stadium's 60,000 spectators and millions of us watching TV at home.

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She continued: “The next thing, I was shrouded in a Union Jack flag, carried by an England supporter, and marched off by policemen.

"It’s still a bit of a blur. I don’t even know where I left my clothes.”Erica, whose dad ran an African tea estate, since married before moving with her husband and three kids to Portugal to organically farm sweet potatoes.For the record we beat Oz 15-11. The other match stat, we can reveal, was an ample 40 inches.