Sunday, 22 June 2014

SIR CLIVE WOODWARD: England can still win 2015 World Cup but lessons ...


  • England can still win 2015 World Cup, according to Sir Clive Woodward

  • But lessons must be learned from disappointing tour of New Zealand

  • Stuart Lancaster’s side lost the series 3-0 with 36-13 defeat in final Test

  • Woodward believes England coach was given impossible job on the tour


By

Sir Clive Woodward



Published:

23:43, 21 June 2014


|
Updated:

23:50, 21 June 2014


England can still win the 2015 World Cup but the right lessons need to be learned from this tour — and there needs to be fundamental changes in the way we play which will have a considerable knock-on effect on selection.


What we saw in the first half in Hamilton last night only reinforced what we witnessed in third quarter in Dunedin last week. 


Head coach Stuart Lancaster faces some major decisions, but the clock is not his friend. He has one huge factor in his favour and that is ‘home’ advantage. But even that will be lost unless some real soul-searching is carried out … and quickly.


Whitewash: England were on the end of a 3-0 series defeat against New Zealand


Whitewash: England were on the end of a 3-0 series defeat against New Zealand



Job on his hands: Stuart Lancaster has got work to do if England want to win the World Cup on home soil next year


Job on his hands: Stuart Lancaster has got work to do if England want to win the World Cup on home soil next year



Is he content for England to be competitive in 2015 — and with home advantage they will definitely be that — or is he prepared to aim for the ultimate and change the way his team plays?


My worry is that there is already talk about winning in 2019, and to look that far ahead is nonsense .


Quite simply, England are not quick enough man for man and as a collective at the very highest level.


Everybody in the All Blacks’ back division has pace and poses a massive threat individually and in unison, whereas England yesterday only had Marland Yarde and Ben Youngs firing any bullets in the 36-13 defeat.


And then Kieran Read, Richie McCaw and Jerome Kaino in the backrow looked a yard quicker than the England trio throughout the game.


Pace is absolutely everything at this level — you are not going to bully yourself to victory against the top southern hemisphere teams.


Talk about a decent second half is misguided. That was a really disappointing England performance, much more than a bad day at the office. That was a step backwards and the gulf in class was alarming.


Yet, so too was the way in which the game was played and that must come down to Lancaster and his coaching staff.


Nor do I want to hear any more about the England rugby culture and values.


Quickstep: Kieran Read was one of New Zealand


Quickstep: Kieran Read was one of New Zealand’s star performers during the match



Paceman: Marland Yarde was one of the few players offering England a threat of pace


Paceman: Marland Yarde was one of the few players offering England a threat of pace



That has to be an absolute ‘given’ and to me the values have always been there despite the highly publicised issues at the last World Cup.


A great rugby culture isn’t going to win you a World Cup, although its absence can lose you a tournament. South Africa, Australia and especially New Zealand have all five-star rugby cultures themselves; ask any Kiwi what the shirt means in New Zealand.


What can really win England the World Cup is world-class coaching and selection, followed by execution by the players.


So the core question is this: Do England continue to go down the current path or do they change before it’s too late?


Do England stick with a big strong pack, but at this level a yard short of pace, augmented by big strong backs and an international class goal-kicker? Or do they look for a much more dynamic and adaptable game plan with pace throughout the team to prize open opposition defences.


To me, this is not a gamble but a necessity for the growth of the game in England.


It has to be the latter. It doesn’t matter how big and powerful you are because New Zealand and South Africa will simply knock you over. For me, Manu Tuilagi is potentially a great player but his physicality is nothing special when you play against these guys.


He didn’t look in the same league as the Ma’a Nonu and Malakai Fekitoa yesterday. England would get so much more out of him if they developed his passing game and used him as a decoy rather than just a battering ram. He has to be much more than that.


He could yet play inside centre if they adopted a game plan that brings out those skills. We saw a brilliant off-load from him to create a try for Chris Ashton last week.


You will see the best of Manu when you have the likes of Danny Cipriani at fly-half and Anthony Watson adding his pace and X-factor on the right wing.


Yarde will be much more effective if he has like-minded attacking players in support and we will then begin to see the best of Mike Brown again as an attacking force. The more pace and invention, the better. Players will  feed off each other and become even more dangerous.


Potential: Manu Tuilagi has what it takes to be a great player


Potential: Manu Tuilagi has what it takes to be a great player



Invetion: Mike Brown tackled by two New Zealand players during the match


Invetion: Mike Brown tackled by two New Zealand players during the match



Just look at New Zealand. If England take that route then they must change the composition of the backrow. It’s just too slow if you are going to play at the sort of pace I am talking about.


But if they decide that type of game is beyond them then Lancaster’s current selection is perfect.


Against the very best you just can’t have Tom Wood and Billy Vunipola starting together. Which brings us back to an issue that will not go away — Steffon Armitage.


He has to be included because he is the best natural openside England have and the artificial circumstances of his non-selection are ridiculous.


I would move Chris Robshaw to No 8 and bring in a fit-again Tom Croft at blindside wing forward for the first game of the autumn, which just happens to be against New  Zealand at Twickenham.


England aren’t a million miles away and they looked very tired at an end of a long season playing in the toughest of rugby environments. The players we need have been knocking around for a while.


We just haven’t had them on the pitch at the same time, with everybody singing from the same hymn sheet.


Selection headache: Steffon Armitage must start for England in the future, believes Woodward


Selection headache: Steffon Armitage must start for England in the future, believes Woodward



Deflated: Tom Wood (left) and Ben Morgan reflect on their defeat


Deflated: Tom Wood (left) and Ben Morgan reflect on their defeat



England have some serious thinking to do and, while the focus must be firmly on the future, I would demand a special meeting with the RFU if I was Lancaster and make it clear that they have badly let him and English rugby down.


In fact he should have made that clear a year ago when the end-of-season farce became apparent.


It is utterly unacceptable that England embark on a three-match Test series against the world champions on their own patch with almost half his first-choice players unavailable because of club commitments.


There can be no debate on this. Such a cock-up must never happen again.


Those absentees had a huge knock-on effect and led to selection  confusion. The First Test is vital and if England had arrived with their ‘Gun’ team, fully prepared and raring to go, they would probably have won and the series might have been unfolded differently.


England were ambushed and what followed has been a huge wake-up call. All is not lost — but it is now decision time.


My team for England’s next test (vs New Zealand on November 8):
Backs: 15 Brown, 14 Watson, 13 Burrell ,12 Tuilagi, 11 Yarde, 10 Cipriani, 9 Care
Forwards: 1 Corbisiero, 2 Hartley, 3 Cole, 4 Launchbury, 5 Lawes, 6 Croft, 7 Armitage, 8 Robshaw (c)








Comments (11)


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The comments below have not been moderated.





Billoz,


Warrington,


14 minutes ago


Can not see what Croft would bring instead of Wood, maybe a bit more speed on the wing. Definitely less dog at the breakdown. Cipriani in after only a couple of cameo performances. Would expect him to be targeted just like Burns and Eastmond were. Burrell and Tuilagi in the centre. I thought he was going for quick feet! There are a lot of quality front row tyros around so I don’t see Cole and Corbs as shoe ins. Team must just be a wind up.





Mark_murrant@hotmail.com,


Murrant86,


3 hours ago


Yesterday was a game to far for us, as good as NZ were, we were awful, but I don’t think we should forget the first two tests and rip up all the good work that has been done like Clive is suggesting. The first test we went toe to toe with NZ with an under strength team and the second test we were beaten by a point. Lancaster knows what he’s doing.





null,


5 hours ago


The best prepared team to go to New Zealand , according to Woodward, was The British Lions in 2005 under his leadership! …. Yeah!





Eng4WC2015,


London, United Kingdom,


5 hours ago


Will Lancaster wake up and start selecting Cipriani! He is by far our most dynamic option at fly half!!





Tom,


Swansea, United Kingdom,


6 hours ago


If you read Sir CW and Mick Cleary it is pointless holding the World Cup. Just hand it to England. It was embarrassing reading the latter back peddling after yesterday. I suggest Sir Clive waits to see who out of Australia, England and Wales progress to the knock out stages. That is totally unpredictable at present.






DAVID YAZ,


ELTHAM, United Kingdom,


6 hours ago


So England would have won the First Test with all their players available? They did not do so well when they WERE picked. Woodward has to keep talking rubbish because that is what he is paid to do. He must have been watching a different McCaw to the one I saw in the three Tests





Ai Rui Sheng,


Cairns, Australia,


7 hours ago


The late arrival of some players could easily be avoided but the Welsh, backed by their colonial masters and fellow Celtic colonials, refuse to allow the games to be put back a month. Satan rules!





Sir Pat,


Pontefract, United Kingdom,


8 hours ago


Some great advice, will the pompous RFU actually listen, what do you think?





fazer600,


essex, United Kingdom,


9 hours ago


Nae

Coming from a scot what else we expect,your team aint exactly setting the world alight are they





enough,


Edinburgh,


13 hours ago


Ha ha ha. Nae chance.



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Article source: http://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2014/may/18/mike-brown-hamstring-stuart-lancaster-woes


SIR CLIVE WOODWARD: England can still win 2015 World Cup but lessons ...
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